Venkaiah Naidu dubs Chidambaram's remarks on Kashmir as 'political opportunism'

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today dubbed Congress leader P Chidambaram's remarks on Kashmir as "political opportunism" and said they reflect a wish to unsettle an elected government.

Chidambaram, in a statement, had said Congress, NC and, if willing, PDP should come together to find a solution to stop the violence and a path forward that would bring hope, peace and prosperity to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Congress wants to unsettle a democratically elected government. What do you mean when you say Congress, NCP and PDP come together. There is a democratically elected government in the state, you are suggesting to unsettle it in order to get some political benefit," Naidu told reporters.

Naidu accused Congress of speaking in different voices on strategic matters and also of being "callous" on sensitive issues.

He said while Congress has sought to distance itself from recent statements of Chidmabaram and other leaders, Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid have been its think tank for several years.

Naidu said it appears that Congress is at odds with its "lawyers brigade", on which its relied heavily when it was in power.

He also hit out at former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, saying he seemed to be speaking in frustration forgetting what had happened when he was in power when more than a hundred poeple were killed.

He claimed Congress was "consistently inconsistent" with regard to Pakistan and also Jammu and Kashmir. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoed the sentiments of the people, even then Congress tried to find faults with it, he said.

"What is surprising and shocking is why Congress leaders are aiding and abetting Pakistan, which is aiding, abetting and funding terrorism," Naidu claimed.