BJP’s Thakur slams Karra’s hunger strike as ‘political gimmick’

Srinagar, Jul 31: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson for Jammu & Kashmir, Altaf Thakur on Thursday said the J&K Congress chief Tariq Karra’s announced hunger strike for the restoration of statehood is “nothing more than a personal weight-loss mission” inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Fit India’ campaign.“Let’s be honest — this hunger strike isn’t about statehood. It’s Tariq Karra finally following PM Modi’s anti-obesity mantra: ‘Fit India, Hit India’. If skipping meals for headlines is the new Congress strategy, they might as well call it a fitness campaign,” Thakur quipped while addressing media here.The BJP spokesperson dismissed Karra’s move as a “publicity stunt”, saying the Congress leader was “trying to stay politically relevant by starving himself — not for the people, but for the cameras”.He said statehood for Jammu & Kashmir is a serious issue, and not something that can be restored on the “whims of political theatrics or token protests”. “The restoration of statehood is on the Government of India’s agenda — but it will happen at a constitutionally appropriate time, not on the dictates of failed political opportunists,” Thakur said.Taking a further jab, the BJP leader added, “Congress leaders should first go on a truth fast — stop feeding people with emotional drama and political gimmicks. What Karra is doing is less about rights and more about likes.”He said the people of Jammu & Kashmir have moved on from politics of “empty symbolism” and want real development, peace and progress. “If Karra wants to help the people, he should work on the ground, not stage hollow spectacles. Jammu and Kashmir needs leadership, not theatrics,” he said.