In yet another controversial remark, Jammu and Kashmir's former chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Monday dared the Centre to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar city before talking about unfurling it in PoK.
Abdullah's remarks drew criticism from the BJP, with Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh saying the National Conference leader was strengthening the separatists and militants. He said the tricolour was being hoisted in all parts of the state, including Lal Chowk.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad too echoed Singh’s statement, saying that the tricolour is already flying high across the state.
Our tricolour is already flying high in the state and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is losing its ground.Ravi Shankar Prasad
Abdullah, who had recently claimed that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir could not become a part of India, said he only uttered facts and that what he spoke about PoK was the "truth".
"They (Centre and BJP) are talking about raising flag in PoK. I ask them, first you go and raise the tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. They can't even do that here and they are talking about PoK," he said.
"If you don't like to hear the truth, then live in the untruth. The truth is that (PoK) is not our part and this (J&K) is not their part. That is the truth," Abdullah said defending his comment that PoK does not belong to India.
Asked whether he was not hurting the Indian sentiment by making such comments, he retorted, asking "What is Indian sentiment? You think I am not an Indian?
"Whose sentiments are you talking about? Those crooks, who don't sees our miseries. Who don't see the miseries of our border people? How they suffer when shelling starts?" he said.
Later responding to Abdullah’s challenge, Jammu and Kashmir unit of Shiv Sena (Bala Sahib Thackeray) on Tuesday that it would hoist the national flag in Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of summer capital Srinagar, shortly.
The outfit's state chief Dimpy Kohli said the time was not too far when the tricolour would be hoisted in PoK as well.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)