PM Modi Like Nero, Was Busy In Tanzania During Kashmir Strife: Digvijaya Singh

In a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over handling of the Kashmir situation, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh today compared him with Roman emperor Nero, saying Modi was "busy in blowing trumpet in Tanzania" when Kashmir was burning and chose to continue his tour.

"It has been last two years that the condition in Kashmir is deteriorating, however, the kind of seriousness and sensitivity (being) warranted by government is not there as the government is completely insensitive towards the core issue," Mr Singh told reporters.

Giving the example of US President Barack Obama, Mr Singh said after the shooting incident in Dallas, President Obama cut short his trip to Spain and returned to the US to deal with the situation.

"Like the way when Rome was burning and the emperor was busy playing fiddle, our Prime Minister was busy blowing the trumpet in Tanzania and did not pay any seriousness towards the situation in Valley and continued his trip," Mr Singh alleged.

He claimed the Kashmir strife was waiting to happen because BJP, which has the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir with PDP, "is not sensitive and serious towards Kashmir and the core issue".

"Before elections, the PDP was against BJP and BJP too had labelled PDP as a separatist party, however, after polls both the parties joined together, compromising their party principals," the All ICC general secretary said.

Mr Singh praised former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for initiating talks with Kashmiri people.

"After Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh (who headed the Congress-led UPA government) too adopted the same path and worked towards the core issue of Kashmir. We need to understand the core issue of the Kasmhir and then only it can be resolved," he said.

Mr Singh referred to a letter written by former BJP MLA from Gujarat Yatin Oza in which the latter claimed that BJP chief Amit Shah and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi had "struck a secret deal" ahead of Bihar polls to polarise Muslim votes. The letter was written by Oza addressed to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on July 4.

"When Obama came to India, it was the first time in the history of India that someone from the outside country had reminded us about Article 25 of Constitution which says all people are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion, and it was a slap on Modi government," Mr Singh said.

The Congress leader expressed the need for having a united front of secular forces against BJP, and also appealed to NCP chief Sharad Pawar to work towards the cause. "There are several like-minded people and they should come together and form a secular force against BJP at national level," he said.