Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh has developed a knack for making headlines for all wrong reasons.
He did it again today when he referred to Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir as ‘India-occupied Kashmir’.
It was yet another addition to his long list of gaffes that includes referring dreaded terrorist Osama Bin Laden as ‘Osama Ji’ and calling Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed as ‘Hafiz saheb’.
Digvijay Singh’s blooper came when he was responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statements on Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“Narendra Modi thinks more about Pak-occupied Kashmir. He congratulates people from Balochistan. But he is not ready to talk to the people of Kashmir in India. First, we have to create confidence in Kashmir, be it ‘India-occupied Kashmir’ or ‘Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’. If we have to build trust in people, then it is only possible through talks. The situation will not improve with these confrontationist remarks of the Prime Minister. It will only worsen,” Digvijay Singh said.
When a reporter asked him to explain why he used the term ‘India-occupied Kashmir’, Digvijay Singh realised his mistake and offered a clarification.
“No, I meant the Kashmir in India. I said he does not think about the Kashmir in India, only about Pak-occupied Kashmir. Kashmir is an integral part of India,” Digvijay Singh clarified.
After underlining the need to expose Pakistan’s atrocities on people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during an-party meet on Kashmir unrest, Prime Minister Modi raised the issue once again during his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
"From the ramparts of the Red Fort, I want to express my gratitude to some people -- the people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pak-occupied-Kashmir -- for the way they whole-heartedly thanked me, the way they expressed gratitude to me, the way they conveyed their goodwill to me recently," PM Modi said.
