Congress veteran TS Singh Deo says PoK must return to India, questions Azami’s suspension over Aurangzeb remarks

Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh), March 6 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and Chhattisgarh's former Deputy Chief Minister T.S. Singh Deo, reacting to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's statement on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), on Thursday said that a part of Kashmir was taken away from India by the Pakistani Army, and it should certainly be returned. 

Talking to IANS, the Congress veteran did not agree with the decision to suspend Samajwadi Party MLA from the Maharashtra assembly over his remarks praising Aurangzeb.

Jaishankar had said: "Look in Kashmir, actually we have done, I think we have done a good job solving most of it. I think, removing article 370 was one step number one. Then, restoring growth and economic activity and social justice in Kashmir. It was step number two, holding elections, which was done with a very high turnout for step number three. I think the part we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir, which is under the illegal Pakistani occupation. When that's done, I assure you. Kashmir solved."

In his response, Singh Deo said: "When the country was partitioned, a part of the Kashmir state was taken by the Pakistani army and occupied by them. Therefore, it should certainly be returned. At that time, the Maharaja of the state had signed an agreement with India to merge the entire state with India. Hence, POK should rightfully belong to India, there is no doubt about it."

Regarding the suspension of Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi from the Maharashtra Assembly after his praise of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Singh Deo commented: "Aurangzeb was an important figure in India's history. While we may not agree with all his actions, I also do not agree with each and every work, but it does not mean his name cannot be mentioned. There is no law in the country that says you cannot speak the name of someone who has made such mistakes. Aurangzeb is known for his orthodox ideology and destruction of some Hindu religious sites as written by some historians. Even among people of other religions, there are such individuals who target someone else’s religion, so can we not mention their names?" Will someone taking names of such people be suspended from the house?”

“In a democracy, you can differ with someone’s views on the work of a particular individual. You can say that this was a good or bad thing done by someone. But it is no aggregable move to remove someone from the assembly or the house,” Singh Deo added.