PM Narendra Modi mishandling Kashmir issue: Rahul Gandhi

CHENNAI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today attacked the Modi government over its Kashmir policy, accusing it of mishandling the issue and turning the state, which was the country's "strength", into its "weakness".

"They are creating a problem for this country by their incompetence and by trying to utilise Kashmir as a political asset," Gandhi told reporters here.

The government of India and the Prime Minister "are completely mishandling Kashmir. Kashmir is India's strength and they are making it India's weakness," he said, blaming the Modi government for the current unrest in the Valley.

The Congress Vice President said he had told Union Minister Arun Jaitley about six-seven months back that they were "mishandling Kashmir and they are going to set it afire".

"But Mr Jaitley brushed me aside and said Kashmir is peaceful," said Gandhi, who had yesterday attended an event to celebrate the 94th birthday of DMK chief M Karunanidhi.

He said the opposition would unitedly "fight and defeat" the attempts of the BJP and the RSS to "thrust one idea" on a country that celebrates diversity.

"We are not going to allow one single idea of the RSS - the bankrupt idea, to invade this country and we are going to fight the RSS together," he said.

Opposition parties stood united in this task to defeat the BJP and the RSS, he added.