'Married to Pakistan ...': Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge attacks PM Modi, Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Hitting out at remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah accusing the Congress-National Conference alliance in Jammu and Kashmir of having an agenda that "aligned with Pakistan's interests," Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge strongly refuted the allegations as "false" and retorted: "The BJP may love us [India], but it is married to Pakistan".
He asserted that the Congress party's agenda in J&K is focused on the welfare and development of the people, and has nothing to do with Pakistan.
During a press briefing in Jammu on Saturday, the Congress chief took a dig at PM Modi, saying that his party was not the one who had gone to Pakistan to eat biryani and give a hug. He was referring to PM Modi's surprise stopover in Pakistan in December 2015 to meet his then-counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
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"What PM Modi and Shah said about Pakistan and the Congress party's agenda of aligning with Pakistan or listening to them is all false and this is done to divert attention. I ask you, they (BJP) have been in power at the center for 10 years, and their appointed governor is here. The promises they made to work, why haven't they fulfilled them?" said Kharge.

"You talk about Pakistan. We never went to eat Biryani and embrace them, you did, and now you're blaming us. They say they love us but are married to Pakistan," he added.
A few days after claiming that the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance in Jammu and Kashmir is aligning with Pakistan’s interests, PM Modi warned that a vote for Congress would lead to the reinstatement of Article 370, which he said would pave the way for violence to return to the Valley.
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“Every vote given to Congress will implement the manifesto of PDP and NC. They want to bring back Article 370. This means they want bloodshed in the valley again,” PM Modi said on Thursday at a public rally in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir.
“There may not be enthusiasm about the Congress-National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, but the neighbouring country (Pakistan) is very enthusiastic about them. Pakistan is having a great time (Balle Balle) over the Congress-National Conference alliance,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi's remarks came a day after Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif claimed that the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance shared a common stand on restoring Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

After Asif's statement, Union minister Amit Shah slammed the NC-Congress alliance and said Pakistan's defence minister's statement has made it clear that Congress and Pakistan have the same intentions and agenda.