Former Indian home minister blames Modi for Kashmir crisis

Former Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of "exacerbating" the crisis in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

"I am concerned that situation in Jammu and Kashmir is sliding into total chaos. The PDP-BJP government is squarely responsible for the sharp deterioration in the last 6 weeks," Indian media quoted the Congress party leader as saying.

In a statement, Chidambaram expressed concern over the current state of affairs in the occupied valley, and lamented the loss of lives in clashes between Kashmiri youth and Indian security forces.

"The statements of the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Defence Minister have exacerbated the crisis. Moderation in words and actions alone can retrieve the situation,” he said.

He urged political parties in India to join hands with the Congress party to find a way to end the violence in the occupied valley.

The Congress party, however, described Chidambaram's statement as his "personal and individual view".