After Rahul Gandhi hits PM over Amarnath attack, BJP says Nehru family responsible for situation in Valley

New Delhi: Hitting back at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies for creating space for terrorists in Kashmir, the BJP said on Wednesday that the Nehru family was solely responsible for the state's situation.

File image of Rahul Gandhi. PTI

"What personal benefit can anyone draw out of bloodshed, but it only shows an immature mind who does not know the history of his own family. Because, if anybody is singularly responsible for the mess that we are watching in Jammu and Kashmir, it is the Nehru family," Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi told reporters.

She was responding to Rahul Gandhi's jibe at Modi through a tweet, in which he questioned the latter's policies and his pursuit of "short-term political gain" that he said "created space for terrorists" in the Valley and cost India strategically.

"Not just from 1947, even after that, whatever has happened in Kashmir, if a person is to be blamed, it is Nehru himself and the policies the Congress followed after him and the 'jihadi' Islamist terrorism which happened in 1990s. I think he would do well to get correct briefing from his staff," Lekhi said.

Echoing Lekhi's views, Union minister Smriti Irani said that challenges around Kashmir were a legacy of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

"After returning from strategic and very well-known holiday, Gandhi has chosen to attack the prime minister, especially when the whole nation stands united against terrorism," she said.

Hitting out at the Congress leader, Irani said that Gandhi speaks about personal gains and everybody in the country knows it.

"History has given proof that when it comes to challenges with regard to Kashmir, those challenges are given out to the country courtesy the Nehru-Gandhi family. There are a few questions he needs to answer. Congress leader Mani Shanker Aiyar went to Pakistan and sought help to remove Narendra Modi and his government so that the Congress can come back to power. Is that the strategy for Rahul Gandhi's personal gain or is that political strategy?" Irani asked.

In a series of tweets, Gandhi imitated the prime minister's style of describing his achievements in mathematical equations and said the growing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir was a fallout of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form the government in the state.

"Short-term political gain for Modi from the PDP alliance has cost India massively. Modi's personal gain = India's strategic loss + sacrifice of innocent Indian blood."

With the hashtag AmarnathTerrorAttack, the Congress leader lashed out at the prime minister over increasing terror incidents in Kashmir.

The BJP on Tuesday had asked Gandhi to "rise to the occasion" and not play politics over the Amarnath terror strike.

"You (Rahul Gandhi) will have enough occasions to do politics but please rise to the occasion today. You represent a party which has a long tradition. I  wish he looks into the pages of history of his own party and how there have been unanimity on these occasions," Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

He said the Modi government's resolve is firm and the terrorists responsible for the attack will be brought to book.

"Today is the occasion when the country needs to speak in one voice," he said, adding that the entire nation is "rising in revolt" against the attack.