Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday addressed senior Congress leader Susheelkumar Shinde's recent remarks about feeling scared during his visit to Kashmir while serving as Union Home Minister.
Speaking to the media, Pawar said, “Many VIPs used to go to Kashmir including Prime Minister, Home Minister and Defence Minister to meet people there. But some incident which happened recently like Pulwama, so instead of just being the mere spectator India had given befitting replies through counter-attack...There was a time when it was impossible to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk...Many have started celebrating Ganeshotsav, Navratri Eid and all other festivals without fear," as ANI quoted.
Shinde, during the launch of his memoir Five Decades in Politics, had revealed that he was scared while visiting Lal Chowk in 2012 during his tenure as Home Minister. The Congress leader recalled advice from educationist Vijay Dhar, encouraging him to visit the area, which garnered him attention for being a fearless minister. However, Shinde admitted to being afraid during the visit, making the comment light-heartedly, "Lekin meri fat'ti thi wo kisko bataoon?" (But who do I tell that I was scared?).
Shinde, who served as Maharashtra's chief minister from 2003 to 2004 and as the Union home minister from 2012 to 2014, also held positions as Governor of Andhra Pradesh and was a vice-presidential candidate for the UPA in 2002.
Shinde’s comments have drawn a sharp response from the BJP. Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress of attempting to take Jammu and Kashmir back to a state of fear. “Shinde admits he was scared of going to J&K, and today Rahul Gandhi was seen comfortably participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir,” Poonawalla wrote on X. “The Congress wants to take J&K back to days of terror.”