Pilot slams BJP’s ‘PoK pitch’ as ‘election rhetoric’, calls it ploy to divert attention

New Delh, PTI: Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday slammed as “election rhetoric” the BJP’s recent ‘PoK will be part of Jammu and Kashmir’ pitch and asked what stopped it from taking steps to realise that goal when it had a full majority government for 10 years. The Congress general secretary, who has been campaigning extensively for the current round of assembly polls, also exuded confidence that his party may break all previous records to get a larger number of seats than ever before in Haryana. In an interview with PTI, Pilot said the Congress could get more than a two-thirds majority in Haryana and claimed the top BJP leadership was showing a lack of interest in campaigning, having sensed the reality on the ground.

He said despite attempts by many forces to create a sense of confusion in the Kashmir Valley and in Jammu, the Congress-National Conference’s collective campaign will ensure they form a government with a comfortable majority. Asked about Yogi Adityanath’s remarks last week that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will become part of J-K after the BJP returns to power, Pilot said, “I am surprised why the chief minister of a state is making that statement right during the elections. They have been in the government for the last 10 years.

I must remind you, the first time Parliament passed a unanimous resolution to take back the PoK was in 1994 when the Congress was in government. We were in power and we made that commitment through Parliament.” “The BJP has had power for 10 years, a full majority government for 10 years, what has stopped them from taking that step?” the former Union minister said. Pilot claimed the BJP raises these issues just briefly for three weeks of election campaigning and after that things go back to normal.