GOHANA/HISAR:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticised the Congress over its stand on Article 370, saying its statements are being used by Pakistan against India and asked what kind of “chemistry” it shares with the neighbouring country.

With the BJP making scrapping of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 a big election issue, PM Modi said parties like the Congress can neither understand sentiments of people nor respect sacrifices made by soldiers.

Addressing a rally in Haryana’s Gohana, his fourth one in the northern state before the election on Monday, PM Modi asked the gathering, “Should I take decisions in national interest or not, should national interest be above politics or not? But the Congress is not able to understand this feeling of people of Sonipat and people of Haryana.”

He said the Congress is in “pain” since August 5 when the centre decided to abrogate special status to Jammu and Kashmir. “Do you recall what happened on August 5? On that day such a thing happened which no one could have imagined, about which in a way the country had given up hope. On August 5, India’s Constitution in entirety became applicable in Jammu and Kashmir. For 70 years, what was stumbling block in development of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, we removed that,” PM Modi said.

“But since then Congress and parties like them are in a pain that no medicine is able to cure… And Congress is suffering from such a disease that when we talk of Swachh India, surgical strike, they have a problem and if anyone takes Balakot’s name, their pain increases,” PM Modi said.

He said statements made by Congress leaders on scrapping Article 370 are being used by Pakistan. “Now, the country knows why Congress goes through this pain, for whose sympathy, for whom it is. You have seen the statements Congress leaders made on Kashmir are helping whom, who is taking benefit of such statements and where these are used,” PM Modi said.

“Do you know who is taking benefit of these?” he asked. The crowd replied, “Pakistan”. PM Modi then said, “You are correct.”

“Now, Congress should reply why they are making such statements which are being liked by Pakistan… What kind of chemistry is this with Pakistan, whose chemistry is this and for whom. In these polls, you will have to find an answer to this,” he said.

The BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats from Haryana in national election.