New Delhi [India], July 15 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, questioning him over remarks made by senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz on Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. He has demanded clarity from the top Congress leadership, questioning whether Soz's remark reflects the opposition party's stance on the matter.
This comes after Soz had urged the JKNC-led government to broaden the scope of their protest for statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, and it should focus on restoration of Article 370 as during partition, "a Muslim-majority state chose to join India, a nation with a Hindu majority" While he maintained that the decision was right, he said that it should be on their "own terms".
Addressing a press conference, Trivedi called Saifuddin Soz's remarks as "dastardly", claiming that Soz has demanded Kashmir's "sovereignty" from India.
"Leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi, as usual, from a suspicious and conspicuous foreign tour, has just landed in India and everybody was thinking that how come any non Indian or anti nationalist statement has not come the moment he has put his foot on the pious land of India? A dastardly statement has come from Saifuddin Soz, one of the senior-most leaders of the Congress Party, former Union Minister and former president of J&K Congress," he said.
"He has gone to the extent of saying that Jammu and Kashmir doesn't require only statehood, but requires restoring 370. He goes beyond and says that our main target is "Dakhili Khud Mukhtari", meaning "sovereignty" in India, and not only this. He goes to the extent that since we are a Muslim-majority state and Muslims were around 8 crore at the time of partition, now they are 23 crore. So we will be with India on our own terms, which will include sovereignty," he added.
He demanded a "categorical answer" from Congress top brass, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, about their stance on Soz's statement. "Is this the official line of the Congress party?" Trivedi asked.
He also alleged Soz had made past remarks about "Musharraf plan", claiming that under the plan Soz had earlier suggested Kashmir could even "depart from India."
"Saifuddin Soz previously also said that, as per the Musharraf plan in his book that the Kashmir can even depart from India. So we want a categorical answer, " he said.
Trivedi contrasted this with the BJP's own position, saying, "Our policy under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is 'Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat.'"
He warned that silence from Congress leaders would be seen as an affirmation.
"Now, when Congress leaders are talking about a Muslim majority and sovereignty on their own conditions, the nation expects a categorical and unequivocal answer from them. And if they deny or shy from giving any explanation, it will be considered as their affirmation of this dastardly statement," he said.
Soz remarks has triggered a political row amid JKNC's own push for statehood.
He had said, "The National Conference should be talking about statehood...our issue is not statehood...no one can permanently turn the state of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory, it is a temporary arrangement. Our real issue is internal autonomy, and the people of Jammu and Kashmir must fight for the restoration of Article 370...the younger generation must bear in mind that we, a Muslim-majority state, chose to join India, a nation with a Hindu majority...we made the right decision to remain with India, but it must be on our own terms, internal autonomy must be restored."
The National Conference has called for a protest at the Jantar Mantar on July 20 to demand statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. Party chief Farooq Abdullah has invited leaders across party lines to join the protest.
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Sunday backed Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's call for restoration of the statehood of the Union Territory.
The 'Delhi Chalo' protest reflects the long-standing demand from the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) to grant statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier on July 10, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the National Conference has not received permission for its July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital, demanding restoration of full statehood for the Union Territory. He alleged that there was an intent to "sabotage" the National Conference's protest.
Following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the Centre formed two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the status of a state would be restored once the situation normalises.
In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the move to abrogate Article 370, while not taking up the question of the restoration of statehood, as the Centre had submitted that it would be restored in due time.