New Delhi, March 14 : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday took on the Congress for tweets by the party’s Kerala t dismissing the 1990 genocide of Kashmiri Hindus as shown in ‘The Kashmir Files’, and said the party was denying reality. Speaking in the Lok Sabha on the discussion on the demand for grants and budget for the on Territory of J&K, Sitharaman also slammed the Congress for a party Prime Minister shaking hands with a separatist and terrorist who had killed four IAF personnel – in a direct reference to former PM Manmohan Singh who is seen in a photo shaking hands with JK Liberation Front leader Yasin Malik who in 2020 was charged for the murder of four Indian Air Force personnel in 1990. On the film ‘The Kashmir Files’, she said that the film highlights some bitter truths of a time when there was so much brutality on Hindus forcing them to flee the state on threat of conversion at gunpoint, with rapes and murders taking place. She said there was denial of this under the Congress, “and today too Congress MPs on their twitter handle are saying that the Kashmiri Pandits left on their own, from a Congress official handle.” She said that the National Conference was partner of the INC at the time when the then Chief Minister “left the Hindus on their destiny and went abroad” while they were being raped and murdered. She also said that a former Congress PM shook hands with the person who killed four IAF personnel – referring to former PM Manmohan Singh shaking hands with Malik. The Congress party’s Kerala t had in a series of tweets on Sunday downplayed the Kashmiri Hindu genocide and blamed then Governor Jagmohan for the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus. The Kerala t deleted its tweets, and put out a fresh tweet today. It said: “We stand by every single fact in yesterday’s tweet thread about the #KashmiriPandits issue. However, we’ve removed a part of the thread, seeing BJP hate factory taking it out of context and using it for their communal propaganda. “We’ll continue to speak out the truth. “For BJP, #Kashmir is a Hindu-Muslim problem. For Congress, it’s a long battle between separatists & those who stand with India. “Let’s respect ALL Kashmiris who’ve made sacrifices in this battle. “Congress brought peace & rehabilitated victims. BJP ruined it for politics. “Terrorism has no religion. Innocent civilians are its victims. “Congress firmly stands with all the victims. We don’t differentiate victims based on religion whereas BJP keeps clashes alive for electoral benefits & helps NONE. “#KashmiriPandits know it better than others,” it said. RN
