As per Congress booklet Jammu and Kashmir is Indian Occupied Kashmir

Lucknow: The Congress party on Saturday drew nationwide criticism after its senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad released a booklet, containing a map that reckoned Jammu and Kashmir as 'Indian Occupied Kashmir'.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is the Congress' leader in the Rajya Sabha, released the booklet showing Kashmir as Indian Occupied Kashmir during a press conference organised to slam the Narendra Modi-led central government for its "failures".

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to take advantage of the blooper committed by a senior Congress leader, as it said that the act must have gladdened the hearts of Congress' patrons in Pakistan.

Expressing disappointment, the Congress party accepted its blunder, saying that it was party's responsibility to make sure that such map was not released. He, however, retaliated to BJP's attack saying that once BJP has also released a similar map on its official website but it never accepted its mistake.

"It is not only regrettable but shocking that a senior Congress leader like Azad is projecting a map of Kashmir where it is described as Indian occupied Kashmir. Is Congress speaking the language of Pakistan?

"A Parliament resolution says even Pak occupied Kashmir is a part of India. By projecting Kashmir as Indian occupied Kashmir the Congress party has not only made separatists happy but also gladdened the heart of its patrons across the border. It is condemnable," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Uttar Pradesh government minister and spokesperson Shrikant Sharma alleged that releasing such a map amounted to "treason" and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi should apologise for it.

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He went on claiming that it wasn’t the first instance when Congress had spoken on behalf of Pakistan. He alleged that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had visited JNU campus to sympathise with "traitors" and the party had also questioned the authenticity of cross-LoC surgical strikes to demoralise Indian Army.

Another senior Congress leader Ajay Maken, while describing it as a printing mistake, accepted that it was his party's responsibility to ensure that such mistake wasn’t made.

"We apologise for this and will ensure that such a mistake is not repeated," he said.

Since the map came to spotlight, people from around the country started giving sharp reactions against Congress party and they did not stop until Congress accepted its mistake and apologised for the same.