Pakistan going 'balle-balle' over Congress-National Conference manifesto: PM Modi

PM Modi said while nobody is giving the Congress and National Conference any importance in Jammu and Kashmir, "Pakistan main inki balle balle ho rahi hai" (they are being celebrated in Pakistan.

In Short

• PM Modi criticises Congress-National Conference alliance in J&K
• Says Pakistan supports their manifesto promise to restore Article 370
• Pakistani Minister said his government on same page with Congress-National Conference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called out the Congress-National Conference alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that Pakistan is very happy seeing their manifesto for the Assembly election.

Addressing a poll rally in Katra, PM Modi said, "The Congress-National Conference alliance is being applauded in Pakistan. Pakistan is very happy with their manifesto and has openly extended its support."

PM Modi was reacting to Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's remark where he said that the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Congress-National Conference alliance were on the same page on the issue of restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Pakistan's Defence Minister has openly come out in support of the Congress-National Conference alliance. He says their agenda is the same as that of Pakistan... Congress and National Conference want to implement Pakistan's agenda here in Jammu and Kashmir," PM Modi said.

"Nobody is giving them (Congress and National Conference) any importance here. But in Pakistan, inki balle balle ho rahi hai (they are being celebrated)," the Prime Minister added.

On August 5, 2019, the Narendra Modi-led government revoked Article 370, which granted special autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, through a presidential order. Later, the government passed a resolution in Parliament, bifurcating the state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

While the National Conference has vowed to restore Article 370, the Congress has been completely silent about it and has not even mentioned it in its manifesto. The Congress has, however, promised its commitment towards restoring full statehood status to Jammu and Kashmir.