NEW DELHI, AUG 25 (DNA) – With the dominant ideology of Hindutva sweeping away the secularism from the face of India, and putting minorities in danger and vulnerable position, the Modi-led Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has this time called for withdrawing the ongoing work on the Kartarpur corridor project with Pakistan.

BJP’s new move has been revealed by its Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Subramanian Swamy on August 24 when he stirred another controversy within India by asking to abandon the Kartarpur corridor.

The minister dictating tyranny and oppression has hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikh community members who have been awaiting opening of the Kartarpur corridor for decades.

Swamy blatantly asserted that there was no need of the corridor and Pakistan could not be trusted.

“There should be no talks with Pakistan on any issue […] Whatever work has been done, let it be stopped there. We should not have any dialogue or relations with Pakistan,” he said.

“We should not give any excuse to Pakistan for dialogue on any issue and show it to the world […] We should not have any relation with Pakistan,” he added.

Asked if Sikhs’ sentiment would not be hurt on stopping the Kartarpur corridor project, Swamy said, “I understand Sikhs sentiments very well and I have always supported Sikhs.”

“Sikhs should understand that Pakistan’s intentions are bad and they have to be set right first,” he said.

The corridor is aimed at connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan’s Narowal district with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

In Kartarpur Sahib, Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life. India and Pakistan agreed to lay the corridor in November last year.

The MP’s remarks are an echo of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) line on Hindu supremacist ideology.

Taken aback by Swamy’s comment, Sikh organisations and the opposition lashed back at Swami to desist from commenting on such sensitive issues.

The BJP MP also claimed that Kashmir was a Hindu state before it was “attacked by Islam” in 1190.=DNA

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