Shiv Sena Corners Centre Over Ladakh Standoff, Kashmir; Party Condemns ED Raids

The Shiv Sena on Friday slammed the central government, saying that while the Chinese army took control of the vast tracts of land in Ladakh and separatists raised their flags, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was content raiding its opponents.

The party also said that on the occasion of the 75th anniversary celebrations of Independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should show courage by visiting Kashmir "swallowed" by Pakistan.

They should also take along Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, rebel MLAs Uday Samant, Dada Bhuse and Deepak Kesarkar, who have found a new "vigour" of Hindutva. This will set an example, it said.

"The Chinese army has entered Ladakh and taken control of 38,000 square kilometres of land and separatists are raising their flag in Kashmir, while the ruling party is feeling good by resorting to raids on opponents and arresting them," the party said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

The party said when Article 370 was abrogated, the separate flag for Kashmir was also scrapped. Modi and Shah had declared that Kashmir is now "100 per cent" part of India.

But the woes of Kashmiri Pandits and the "dirty games" of separatists still continue and there is no visible change in the situation.

The Centre also slammed People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti for keeping the Kashmir flag in the display picture of her Twitter account.

Mehbooba Mufti's Twitter display picture has a photo of PM Modi with the tricolour on his side and Mufti's father and late Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with the Kashmir flag on his side. 

Taking a dig at the Centre, the party said it has no courage to take action against Mufti.

On August 5, 2019, Parliament nullified the special provisions of Article 370.

(With PTI inputs)