New Delhi, July 15: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has attributed the large-scale public unrest in Kashmir to a “proxy war with Pakistan”, wherein militancy is being imported to create the various problems in the Valley.
In an exclusive interview with Karan Thapar for The Quint, Gadkari, while defending the Modi government’s policy on Kashmir, answered questions about the present situation in Kashmir, the rise in stone-pelting incidents and how long would it ultimately take to bring peace to the Valley.
Asked about the collapse of the BJP-PDP alliance and the situation in Kashmir getting worse under the Modi government, Gadkari told the interviewer that “Kashmir is not a problem that has come after Modiji took charge as the prime minister. It is an old problem and is crucial.”
Questioned about the rising militancy in the state and asked whether the Modi government’s ‘muscular’ policy has failed, Gadkari pointed the finger at Pakistan, saying: “It is a proxy war with Pakistan. I do not hold Kashmiris responsible for that. It is the import of militants and militants organisations that are constantly creating the problem.”
With regard to the rising incidents of stone-pelting in the Valley, especially by young students – including teenage girls – Gadkari said the “brains behind all these things are Pakistanis”.
“In every encounter death, the person belongs to Pakistan. And it is a planned strategy of Pakistan to create problems in Kashmir on the basis of religion. We try sincerely, our level-best, to establish a government that is very much committed to the progress and development of Kashmir,” he said.
On the question of whether an improvement in the state of affairs in Kashmir is expected before the 2019 elections, Gadkari expressed confidence in Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s approach, including his readiness to hold talks with anybody, and said good results could be expected within six months.
He emphasised the Modi government’s push for development in the state, detailing how it has introduced several projects for roads, tunnels and skill development in the recent past, and asserted that the Indian government is being “very, very cooperative”.
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