Not a single Kashmiri Pandit family returned to Valley during BJP rule: Arvind Kejriwal
New Delhi, Mar 26: Accusing the BJP of doing politics over the issue of Kashmiri Pandits' exodus, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday asked how many of the displaced people have returned to the Valley since the party came to power at the Centre.
As the war of words between Kejriwal and the BJP over 'The Kashmir Files' film intensified, the Aam Aadmi Party chief again suggested that the movie be put on YouTube and proceeds earned from it spent for the welfare of Kashmiri Pandits.
Replying to a query on his remarks on the film and the BJP's criticism, he told reporters, "In the last 25 years, since the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, there have been BJP governments at the Centre for 13 years, including the last eight years. Has any Kashmiri Pandit family been rehabilitated in this period? Not a single family has returned to Kashmir."
Kejriwal said that concrete steps should be taken to ensure that Kashmir Pandits can return to their homes.
He said 'The Kashmir Files' has earned about Rs 200 crore and alleged that the BJP is "making money on someone's tragedy" through the film.
"This is a crime. The country will not tolerate this," the chief minister said.
The BJP is doing politics over the issue. We demand 'The Kashmir Files' film be uploaded on YouTube so that the entire country can understand the plight of Kashmiri Pandits. The money earned from it should be spent on the welfare of Kashmiri Pandits," he said during the post-budget press conference.
The suggestion was first made by him on Thursday while speaking in the Delhi Assembly. Kejriwal had criticised the move of making the film tax-free, and suggested the filmmaker be put on YouTube for all to see free of cost.
He had also taken a swipe at BJP leaders for promoting the film.
The BJP had hit back, accusing him of mocking those who lost their lives to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Posting a picture showing Kejriwal and other AAP MLAs laughing in the Delhi Assembly, BJP general secretary B L Santhosh had tweeted: "Never forget.
"They are laughing (at) people who lost their lives in J&K due to terrorism, laughing at mothers who lost their children, children who lost their parents, security forces who were killed, women who were butchered, children who were shot at... Shameless anarchists."
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala had tweeted: "Face of Hindu hatred looks like this."
Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Zee Studios, The Kashmir Files' depicts the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir following the systematic killing of people from the community by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
The film, which was released on March 11, has sparked a debate among political parties. Several BJP-ruled states, including Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, have exempted the film from entertainment tax.
Some critics have alleged that the film paints Kashmiri Muslims in a bad light and could drive a wedge between communities.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
