Mumbai: In a strongly worded editorial, Shiv Sena (UBT) has launched a fierce attack on the BJP-led central government, questioning the effectiveness of its Kashmir policy following the recent terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.
Published in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, the editorial alleges that terrorism is far from over in the Valley and accuses the Narendra Modi-led government of failing to ensure security despite repeatedly claiming that the region is under control since the abrogation of Article 370.
The editorial criticises the government’s reliance on threats against Pakistan, stating, “This issue will not be resolved by threatening Pakistan. Such threats make PM Modi’s devotees feel good. Pakistan’s back was left to be broken. In Pahalgam, terrorists attacked the back of the fake saviours of Hindus.”
It further slammed PM Modi and other leaders for issuing what it calls “empty threats,” saying, “In reality, terrorists are entering India by crossing the border and killing innocent Hindus. Kashmir is in turmoil under the BJP rule. What else will happen when an atmosphere of religious hatred is created in the entire country?”
Taking aim at the BJP’s track record on national security, the editorial claimed that “most of those killed are Hindus. Some are Muslims. After Pulwama, the Pahalgam attack was a complete failure of the intelligence agencies. Where has the National Security Advisor, who poses as James Bond, gone?”
Highlighting unfulfilled promises to the Kashmiri Pandit community, the piece states, “The promises made by Modi for the Kashmiri Pandits in the 2014 elections have not yet been fulfilled. Not only have Kashmiri Pandits not returned home, but the remaining Hindus are also fleeing. The BJP government, which calls itself the saviour of Hindus, should be ashamed of this.”
The editorial also addresses the broader communal climate in the country, alleging, “For the past decade, the country has been spreading the poison of Hindu-Muslim hatred… Bulldozers were driven over the houses of poor Muslims, and they celebrated wildly during this period.” It questions why, despite the so-called ‘Gujarat model’, peace has not prevailed in Kashmir.
Taking a direct dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the editorial accuses him of misusing intelligence agencies for political gain instead of focusing on national security. “Amit Shah uses the Home Ministry, police, and intelligence agencies for politics, to harass the opposition, for the game of toppling and forming governments… How will Hindus be protected?”
Recalling previous attacks, the editorial continues, “During Modi’s tenure, the Uri terrorist attack took place. Pulwama, which killed 40 soldiers, took place… The Pulwama massacre was a harakiri of the security system and the government’s carelessness. Now yesterday’s Pahalgam attack is also a carelessness.”
Criticising the security arrangements, it stated, “There were over 2,000 tourists at the place where the attack took place, and there was not a single soldier or policeman for their security. That is why the terrorists chose this place to attack.” According to the editorial, terrorists disguised in Army uniforms targeted and killed people one by one before fleeing the scene.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) editorial also questioned the government’s accountability: “When this terrorist attack took place, Prime Minister Modi was on a tour of Saudi Arabia… the worst terrorist attack in the last 25 years took place in Kashmir. The terrorists dispersed by shooting the bodies of 26 tourists. While leaving, they said goodbye to the surviving tourists, ‘Tell Modi what happened here!’”
Home Minister Amit Shah was not spared either, with the party demanding his resignation. “Shah should resign, taking responsibility for the killing of Hindus in Kashmir,” it said, while comparing the BJP’s silence to its criticism of Mamata Banerjee over violence in West Bengal.
Referring to the 2019 BJP manifesto, the editorial pointed out that the government had promised security for Hindus post-Article 370 revocation but has failed to deliver. “Modi-Shah removed the full statehood of Kashmir… the outcry and screams in Pahalgam showed what this state is like,” the editorial asserted.
Quoting former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik, the party reiterated: “Pulwama happened due to the Modi government’s inexcusable carelessness, and Pahalgam happened due to Amit Shah’s sloppiness.”
The piece ends with a stark declaration: “The Kashmir policy has failed during PM Modi’s tenure.”
