Modi busy with foreign trips, people are being killed in J&K: Shiv Sena

The Shiv Sena on Saturday blamed the central government for the violence in Jammu and Kashmir and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his foreign tours, saying they have proved to be a "failure."

Citing a just-released United Nations report  on alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, the Bharatiya Janata Party's carping ally said it shows Modi's frequent foreign trips have not yielded any positive result and, in fact, his image has taken a beating.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party slammed the National Democratic Alliance government over the unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir during Ramzan and the killing of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari in Srinagar.

"Internal security of India has become a joke. A Ram Temple is yet to be constructed in Ayodhya. Lord Ram is in 'vanvaas' (exile). But the country's security is 'Ram-bharose' (in the hands of Lord Ram).

"The government has to be blamed for the violence, bloodshed and killings by terrorists (in J&K) during Ramzan," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana.'

Attacking the PM, the Shiv Sena said while Modi is busy with his foreign trips, people are being killed in Jammu and Kashmir.

"In the last four months, over 400 people have been killed in Kashmir, maximum being the jawans. Our prime minister is busy in foreign trips, while the defence minister is stuck in party affairs.

"While it was being said that the PM's foreign tours enhanced the country's prestige globally, his image lies in tatters after the UN report on Kashmir," it said.

"This (the report) means despite the PM's numerous foreign tours, nobody is willing to stand with India on the issue of Kashmir and we could not put forth our stand, as we should have, before the United Nations," the newspaper said.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released on June 14 its first-ever report on the alleged human rights violation in Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and demanded an international probe into it.

India rejected the report as "fallacious, tendentious and motivated."

The Shiv Sena mouthpiece said the ruling NDA dispensation has caused more harm to the Kashmir cause than the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru or the Congress.

"Pakistan-sponsored terrorists are taking full advantage of the unilateral ceasefire being adhered to by India. Also, all voices that love India are being silenced. At such a time, all your foreign tours and policies have failed," the Sena said.

While the Indian government adhered to ceasfire during the holy month of Ramzan, bloodshed by Pakistan-sponsored militants did not stop during this period, it said.

"This means that while we respected the holy month of Ramzan, Pakistanis did Iftari (breaking fast) with our blood," the Sena said.

Terming the present situation in the border state as "dangerous," the Sena said 18 jawans have been killed since the beginning of Ramzan.

"On top of that, our brave jawan Aurangzeb was kidnapped and mercilessly murdered. Also, the editor of 'Rising Kashmir' Shujaat Bukhari was murdered.

"He used to write against terrorists and his writings had unmasked Pakistan," the Sena said, adding the government could not protect a nationalist.

"Terrorists are silencing all pro-Indian voices while we are upholding the piousness of Ramzan. In doing so, we are breaking the morale of our jawans posted on the border," the Sena publication said.

The Sena is part of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and also in Maharashtra. However, it routinely criticises the BJP and its leaders, including Modi, over the government's programmes and policies.