Srinagar, July 24, KNT: In a sharp political rebuke, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Thursday launched a blistering attack on National Conference leader and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, accusing him of playing into the hands of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and fostering communal divisions.
The BJP leader’s remarks came in response to Abdullah’s criticism of the Modi-led government’s handling of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly following the abrogation of Article 370. “Dr Farooq seems deeply unsettled by the peace and democratic resurgence in J&K,” Chugh said, asserting that the so-called ‘special status’ era was more beneficial to a few political dynasties than to the common people.
Chugh claimed that the post-Article 370 era marked the beginning of real democracy in the region. “What we’re witnessing today is a Jammu and Kashmir beyond dynastic control—villages empowered, people engaged, and militancy on the decline. The Abdullahs thrived on the chaos of the past, but now they are irrelevant in this new order,” he remarked.
Referring to the horrific exodus and massacre of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, Chugh sharply questioned Farooq Abdullah’s silence during one of the darkest chapters in Kashmir’s history. “Where was his voice then, when an entire community was hunted out of their homeland? What kind of democracy did he stand for?” Chugh asked.
He went further to allege that Abdullah has long had covert sympathies for Pakistan-sponsored militants, and that his leadership failed to protect even innocent Hindu tourists who fell victim to militant attacks. “He never condemned such killings forcefully, and that speaks volumes,” Chugh added.
Describing Abdullah’s current political rhetoric as divisive and motivated, the BJP leader accused him of trying to stir communal sentiments at a time when the Union Territory is finally witnessing inclusive development and sustained peace.
“His selective concern is aimed not at defending democratic values but at regaining lost political ground,” Chugh alleged, concluding that the people of J&K have moved on, even if certain leaders have not.[KNT]
