Farooq Abdullah attacks BJP over boat capsize incident in Jhelum river

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], April 21 : National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre over the boat capsize incident in Jhelum river in Jammu and Kashmir.
During the INDIA bloc rally in Ranchi, the former J&K Chief Minister said that if bridges had been constructed on the Jhelum River, the accident could have been averted.
Attacking BJP over the incident, Abdullah said, "Three bridges had to be constructed on Jhelum river. When my son was the CM, he started the three projects. But still nothing happened. And they (BJP) say they have taken Kashmir to new heights...still the bodies haven't been found. They should be ashamed."
"Today you are in power and What sort of development was it, that you can't even build three bridges. If you would have constructed those bridges, the children wouldn't have died," he added.
The former CM urged the people to vote for the INDIA bloc if they want India to "remain independent".
"If you all want to keep India's reputation, Jammu and Kashmir's reputation, then press the button of INDIA bloc on the polling day. Only this can save the country...You will have to decide if India will remain independent or not, will we have the freedom to walk, eat and wear clothes of our choice...Jammu and Kashmir is in trouble. Pakistan on one side and China on the other. China is continuously taking our lands, but they (BJP) are saying no land has been lost," he further said.
INDIA bloc leaders, Delhi Chief Minister's wife Sunita Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Kalpana Soren attended a rally in Jharkhand's Ranchi.
The grand rally was held amidst the Lok Sabha polls over the arrest of the ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and the AAP's Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, two of the key faces of the INDIA bloc. Both Hemant Soren and Kejriwal are in judicial custody.
Two empty chairs, one each for jailed Delhi chief minister Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, were kept on stage.
Earlier, a similar INDIA bloc rally was also held in the Ramlila Maidan in the national capital, where several opposition leaders joined hands to make a call for "saving democracy" in the country.
Earlier during the rally, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party and asserted that the 'Shakti' of the INDIA bloc is so strong that the people of BJP cannot break our 'Shakti'.
"They keep saying 500, 400 (seats). But this time, the 'Shakti' of the alliance is so strong that whether it is PM Modi or whoever, the people of BJP cannot break our Shakti. We are that strong. They are trying to scare us. But we will not get scared if Hemant Soren is sent to jail for refusing to part ways with the INDIA bloc," Kharge said while addressing the INDIA bloc rally.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that PM Modi's washing powder cleans all corruption.
"Narendra Modi speaks against corruption. He put Hemant Soren, and Arvind Kejriwal in jail under false accusations. When he (PM Modi) and BJP speak on corruption, it looks as if Osama Bin Laden and Gabbar Singh are preaching non-violence. A Modi washing powder has come which cleans all your corruptions. Their slogan is 'Jo jitna bada bhrashtachari, wo utna bada padadhikari," Sanjay Singh said.
Elections will be held in Jharkhand in four phases: May 13, 20, 25, and June 1.
In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 12 seats in Jharkhand, with the BJP winning 11. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress got one seat each.