Indian Cabinet Minister Slams Rahul Gandhi: 'He Has Become a Dream Trader In Kashmir'

Congress party member Rahul Gandhi has accused the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of trying to ruin the culture of Jammu and Kashmir during his second visit to the region following the abrogation of Article 370 that led to the bifurcation of the Indian state into two union territories in August 2019.

Indian Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said that the Congress party has committed the crime of destroying Jammu and Kashmir for their political gains. He further added that rather than apologising, Rahul Gandhi has become a "dream trader" in the Valley.

"They (Congress) destroyed Jammu and Kashmir, which is known as heaven on earth, for their political gains. Rather than saying sorry, Rahul Gandhi has turned into a Sapno ka Saudagar (Dream trader)," Indian Minister Naqvi said in Hindi on Saturday.

इन्होंने(कांग्रेस) जम्मू-कश्मीर को जिसे धरती का स्वर्ग कहते थे, उसे इन्होंने अपनी सियासी साज़िशों के तहत बर्बाद करने का गुनाह किया, माफी मांगने की बजाय वो वहां सपनों के सौदागर बनकर घूम रहे हैं: केंद्रीय मंत्री मुख्तार अब्बास नक़वी, राहुल गांधी के बयान पर pic.twitter.com/CEGuPMH3hP

— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) September 11, 2021

This comes a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to Jammu, said that he and his family are Kashmiir Pandits and promised that he will do something for his "Kashmiri Pandit brothers".

"I am a Kashmiri Pandit. My family is Kashmiri Pandit. A delegation of Kashmiri Pandits met me and said that Congress implemented many welfare schemes for them but the BJP has done nothing. I promise that my Kashmiri Pandit brothers that I will do something for them," Gandhi also said.

मैं और मेरा परिवार भी कश्मीरी पंडित हैं।
मैं अपने सभी कश्मीरी पंडित भाइयों से कहना चाहता हूँ कि मैं आपकी मदद करके दिखाऊंगा।: श्री @RahulGandhi #JammuWithRahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/vueRccgcCl

— Congress (@INCIndia) September 10, 2021

In the early 90s, the Kashmiri Pandits, a group of Kashmiri Hindus, were forced to flee from the Kashmir Valley to Jammu and other parts of the country after the outbreak of militancy in the region.

Soon after his comments, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back at Gandhi and called him "immature and irresponsible".

In a press conference, BJP's Spokesperson Sambit Patra said the "problems of Jammu and Kashmir are the legacy of the Gandhi family. It was (former Indian prime minister) Jawaharlal Nehru who was responsible for the problems of Kashmir."

Astonishingly, Rahul Gandhi "very conveniently forgot that the woes of the Kashmiri Pandits were because of the politics of appeasement of the Congress and like-minded parties", Patra said.

Meanwhile, Kavinder Gupta, senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of erstwhile J&K state said that the "exodus of Kashmiri Pandits took place under the nose of Congress rule in the country."

“Had Congress played its role maturely during the early 1990s, the situation here would have been different, with J&K touching the heights of progress,” Gupta said.

Last month, Jammu and Kashmir's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that the union territory's administration is committed to ensure a dignified return of Kashmiri pandits to the Valley. The administration has also launched a portal for the Kashmiri Pandits to reclaim their properties that were left behind.