Shashi Tharoor compared the government's Article 370 decision to the notes ban.

Congress's Shashi Tharoor today said the fallout of the government's massive step on Jammu and Kashmir could be a spike in terrorism. The end to special status and a corresponding bifurcation could drive more Kashmiri youths to terrorism, he said today during the debate in the Lok Sabha over the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill.

"You may be driving more Kashmiri youth to join terrorism," he said, pointing out that it might even boost the Af-Pak terrorists, especially with the US leaving Afghanistan.

Jammu and Kashmir is currently under a tight security blanket, with more than 50,000 additional troops stationed there. The government has also unplugged parts of jammu and Kashmir from internet and phone services. All public meetings and rallies have also been banned.

Since the government's announcement yesterday, the Congress has been pointing to its consequences. The party's senior leader from Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad said the BJP, which "came to power lately", has not considered the strategic aspect of its decision.

"We have a long border with China, we have a border with Pakistan and with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir," Mr Azad said. In a border state, one cannot stop the enemy just with the help of the armed forces, Mr Azad said. "You need the cooperation of the people too," he said, pointing out that in 1947, the people had fought back the Pakistani intruders just armed with sticks.

Today, Mr Tharoor compared the move on Kashmir to the notes ban.

"We all remember the last time the Prime Minister unleashed a decision to the nation which was also initially applauded for his decisiveness, just like today... that was the disaster of demonetisation. The nation is still dealing with devastating consequences of that action," he said.

The Congress, though, has seen a division in its ranks over the Kashmir decision, with many leader siding with the government. While its chief whip in Lok Sabha, Bhubaneswar Kalita, quit yesterday in protest against the party's stance, its senior leader Janardhan Dwivedi said the government has remedied a "historic blunder".

Today, the party has called a meeting of the Working Committee, its top decision making body, to address the concerns of its leaders and get them on the same page.



