Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday criticised the Congress, saying it should be ashamed that its former president Rahul Gandhi’s statement was used by Pakistan in its petition to the United Nations on Kashmir. He made the comments in Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

“The Congress opposed the move to remove Article 370,” Shah said. “Whatever statements Rahul Gandhi makes are lauded in Pakistan. Pakistan has included his comments in its plea.”

Last week, as the matter came to light, Rahul Gandhi said there was no room for Pakistan or any other foreign country to interfere in Jammu and Kashmir, and called Islamabad the “prime supporter of terrorism”. The Opposition party claimed Gandhi’s name had been “mischievously dragged to justify the pack of lies and deliberate misinformation being spread by Pakistan”.

However, Amit Shah did not point out that the sexist comments of his party colleagues Manohar Lal Khattar and Vikram Saini on Kashmiri women were also mentioned in Pakistan’s letter.

The home minister and Bharatiya Janata Party president accused the Congress of doing away the tradition of the Opposition supporting the government on matters of national interest, PTI reported.

“When the question is of national interest, we should rise above party-politics to think about the country,” he added. “You [Congress] are breaking the tradition. You do not know that when you play vote-bank politics, people are assessing you on the same.”

The BJP and its predecessor, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, had always supported governments on matters of national interest such as wars with Pakistan and China, Shah claimed.

The home minister accused the Congress of siding with people who allegedly raised anti-India slogans at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and questioning the Modi government about surgical strikes in Pakistan.

“Now when we have removed Article 370 and 35A, you continue to oppose us,” Shah added. “I would like to ask Congress leaders, where do you want to do politics? You do not know the people of India, who stand like a rock behind Narendra Modi.”

The home minister said the government’s decisions in Jammu and Kashmir would help the state develop. “I can tell you, as his minister, the decision taken by Modi ji is something that nobody else could have taken,” he added. “Many came and went in 70 years, ruled for three generations, but could not remove Article 370. People are blessing PM for this.”

Now, follow and debate the day’s most significant stories on Scroll Exchange.