Union Minister Jitendra Singh sharply responded to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s remarks regarding Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Singh described Reddy’s assertion that India would reclaim PoK if Rahul Gandhi were Prime Minister as "hilarious," emphasizing historical decisions shaping the current status of the region.
Addressing the issue on Friday, Singh attributed the existence of PoK to policies enacted during the tenure of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who Singh said was responsible for both India's partition and the division of Jammu and Kashmir. "It is the result of Nehru’s actions that the nation was divided and Jammu and Kashmir separated," Singh stated.
Singh further highlighted the 1948 India-Pakistan conflict, saying: "When Indian forces were poised to regain PoK, Nehru unilaterally called a ceasefire over the radio without consulting military or political leaders, which halted the progress."
These remarks were made in reaction to Revanth Reddy's comments at a Congress event in Hyderabad, where he questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi called a ceasefire following recent military operations without consulting political parties, despite having convened an all-party meeting prior to the strikes.
Reddy criticized PM Modi, labeling him an "expired rupee" and expressed that the country requires Rahul Gandhi's leadership. He asserted that under Gandhi’s prime ministership, inspired by former PM Indira Gandhi’s decisive wartime leadership, India would have split Pakistan again and reclaimed PoK.
Drawing parallels with Indira Gandhi's assertive strategies during the 1971 war that led to Bangladesh's creation, Reddy underscored the need for strong leadership to resolve ongoing territorial disputes.
