“BJP was engineering a Hindu-Muslim divide in the country over the Ram Mandir issue in Ayodhya during the migration. Pandits’ issue suited BJP’s propaganda to create a fake outrage for electoral gain,” the Kerala Congress tweeted.

---

SRINAGAR — Following the release of Vivek Agnihotri’s Kashmir Files, which has been made tax free by many BJP-ruled states, the Congress unit of Kerala started tweeting some ‘facts’ about the issue of the Kashmiri Pandits using hashtag #KashmirFiles vs truth, which has now become the centre of a fresh controversy.

Kerala BJP MP KJ Alphons said Congress does not understand history; they created a situation where Kashmiri Pandits could not live anymore.

In a series of tweets, Kerala Congress wrote: “Facts about #KashmiriPandits issue: After the terrorist attacks, instead of providing Pandits security, BJP’s own governor Jagmohan asked them to relocate to Jammu. A large number of Pandit families did not feel secure and left the valley in fear.”

Congress tweeted that Pandits left the Valley under the direction of Jagmohan who was an RSS man. “BJP was engineering a Hindu-Muslim divide in the country over the Ram Mandir issue in Ayodhya during the migration. Pandits’ issue suited BJP’s propaganda to create a fake outrage for electoral gain,” the Kerala Congress tweeted.

The migration of the Kashmiri Pandits started in January 1990, a month after the VP Singh government came to power, the Congress said, adding that BJP sheds “crocodile tears” for Kashmiri Pandits but did not bring them back to Kashmir; UPA government built 5,242 tenements for Pandits, the Congress said.

“Congress doesn’t understand history, they have hugely distorted versions. Everyone knows that over 1.5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits were driven out on communal grounds, by the ruling dispensation, which was Congress or its supported govts,” Alphons said.

“Congress & its allies created a situation in which the pandits couldn’t live anymore; they were murdered, there was a genuine fear for their lives, so they left…things have improved dramatically after the revocation of Article 370,” the Kerala MP added.

“We stand by every single fact in yesterday’s tweet thread about the #KashmiriPandits issue. However, we have removed a part of the thread, seeing BJP hate factory taking it out of context and using it for their communal propaganda. We will continue to speak out the truth,” the Kerala Congress tweeted after their tweets stoked a row.

“For BJP, Kashmir is a Hindu-Muslim problem. For Congress, it’s a long battle between separatists & those who stand with India. Let’s respect ALL Kashmiris who’ve made sacrifices in this battle. Congress brought peace & rehabilitated victims. BJP ruined it for politics,” Kerala Congress added.