‘Would’ve bailed out Pak, if ties were better,' Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh with Union MoS Jitendra Singh during a public meeting ahead of J&K Assembly elections in Sept. File pic/PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said India would have given a larger bailout package to Pakistan than sought by Islamabad from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had the neighbouring nation maintained friendly relations with New Delhi.

Addressing an election rally in Gurez assembly segment of Bandipora district, Singh referred to the prime minister's development package for Jammu and Kashmir announced in 2014-15 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Modi ji in 2014-15 announced a special package for development of Jammu and Kashmir which has now reached Rs 90,000 crore. The amount is much bigger than what Pakistan was seeking from the IMF (as bailout package)," the senior BJP leader said.

Singh referred to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's famous statement that "we can change friends but we cannot change the neighbours".

Kharge dizzy at election rally

Mallikarjun Kharge felt dizzy while addressing a public rally on Sunday in the Jasrota belt of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. He is now stable and doctors are attending to him, party leaders said.

"He was addressing a public rally when he felt uneasy and dizzy," Gulam Ahmed Mir told PTI.

BJP slams Mehbooba for ‘crocodile tears'

The BJP lashed out at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti for "shedding crocodile tears" and indulging in "votebank politics" after the former CM cancelled her poll campaign over the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Labelling her as pro-militant, BJP national spokesperson R P Singh said, "By cancelling her campaigning, she has shown she is shedding tears over the death of terrorists. It is her habit to call terrorists martyrs. She had similarly wept for Burhan Wani some time back."

"Sonia Gandhi too shed tears for the terrorists killed in Batla House. All leaders of the INDIA alliance do this for votebank politics. For them, the country doesn't come first. She is doing this for votebank," he charged.

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