I feared visiting Kashmir’s Lal Chowk: Sushil Kumar Shinde

New Delhi: Former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Tuesday made a shocking admission about his fear of visiting Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, a decade ago.

Shinde, a veteran Congressman said that his visits to Lal Chowk helped shape his image as a strong minister however deep down, he always felt 'frightened and scared'.

Shinde’s revelations on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir expose the state of affairs of the Union Territory, prior to the revocation of Article 370.

Many BJP leaders took to social media to share Shinde’s startling disclosures on the dark reality of Jammu and Kashmir before 2014 and compared it with ‘Naya Kashmir’ after 2019, the year when Article 370 was abrogated by the Modi government.

Sushil Shinde, speaking at the launch of his memoir ‘Five Decades of Politics’ said that he often used to visit educationist Vijay Dhar and it was there he got the 'big advice' of life.

“He asked me not to roam around but rather visit the Lal Chowk, meet people there and go to Dal Lake. This advice gave me big publicity as people thought that he was a Home Minister who goes there without any fear but whom do I tell that I was scared to the core,” Shinde said, recollecting thoughts of visiting Lal Chowk.

Amit Malviya, BJP IT-cell chief Amit Malviya shared a video clip of Sushil Shinde and mocked the then UPA dispensation.

He highlighted that J&K has undergone sea-change in the past few years and today it has become a tourism hotspot, rather than a terrorism hotspot.

He stated that democracy has taken root in the Valley, tourism footfalls are on the rise every day and cinema halls have made a comeback to the region.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala also shared Shinde’s video clip and mocked the Congress over its own minister being scared of visiting Srinagar's iconic location. He accused the Congress-NC alliance of wanting to take back the Union Territory back to days of terror.

"An admission by the UPA minister is itself proof of the turbulence in Jammu and Kashmir in those days. Days ago, when Rahul and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, visited Kashmir, they were seen playing with ice balls rather than being greeted by hand grenades," he remarked.

Shinde's revelations of his fears have given the BJP a handle to attack the then UPA dispensation. The startling disclosures by then UPA Home Minister is set to be used as a political weapon by the BJP, whenever the Opposition tries to corner it over 'rising' terror incidents in the Valley.