Priyanka calls BJP's nationalism "strange" over EU delegation's visit

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary on Tuesday said that BJP's nationalism is 'very strange' over the visit of European Union delegates to Kashmir for a first-hand assessment of the situation since the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir, the subsequent communication blackout and detainment of political leaders. 

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the visit of EU delegates and pointed out how the delegation of Indian Parliamentarians were sent back from Srinagar airport on August 24, days after the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Criticising the BJP government for allowing the EU MPs to visit Kashmir and turning back Indian leaders and parliamentarians, the Congress has said it is an insult to the sovereignty of Parliament and to India's democracy.

"European MPs allowed to visit and interfere in Kashmir, but when Indian MPs and leaders go there they are sent back from the airport. This kind of nationalism is very strange," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy, on Monday, expressed his astonishment at the Centre's approval on the visit. He tweeted that the government has arranged the visit for European Union MPs in their private capacity which is against our national policy. He urged the government to cancel the visit to the area as it is immoral.

READ| Dr Swamy slams EU delegation's J&K visit: 'perversion of national policy'

Opposition reaction over visit 

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi lambasted the Centre over the visit of EU delegates, and communalising the visit called them 'Nazi lovers.' The Hyderabad MP also claimed that the EU delegation suffers from 'Islamophobia' will be visiting a Muslim-majority state. Leader of opposition and Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed his outrage by calling the visit a 'conducted tour' by the Centre while addressing at the Speak Up Kashmir event in the national capital. He added that while 3 former chief ministers (Farooq, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti) of Jammu and Kashmir were caged, the EU was brought to visit Kashmir. He added the 'conducted tour' will show just places of interest similar to tourists visiting a famous destination -like Agra.  

The former chief minister of the state Mehbooba Mufti, whose Twitter account is being handled by her daughter amid the PDP chief's detention, also censured the Centre asking why the US Senator, who condemned the government over Kashmir communication blockade, was not allowed to visit the State of J&K. Mufti also took a dig at the government by accusing them of getting involved in the “normalcy acrobatics” in the State. 

(With PTI inputs)