Manohar Parrikar said resolving the Kashmir issue needed a long-term policy.
Highlights
- Delhi not my area of operations, felt under pressure there: Parrikar
- Need a long-term policy to resolve Kashmir issue, says Parrikar
- Parrikar sworn in as the Goa chief minister for fourth time last month
The Kashmir conundrum is not an easy issue to resolve and only a long-term policy can tackle it, Goa Chief Minister and former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Friday.
Mr Parrikar also said that there was a lot of pressure on him when he was serving as the Defence Minister in the national capital.
"It is not easy to resolve the Kashmir issue. There is a need for a long-term policy to resolve the Kashmir issue," Mr Parrikar said at the 126th birth anniversary celebration of Babasaheb Ambedkar here.
He also said that New Delhi wasn't a place he got habituated to.
"Delhi is not my place. It is not the place I am habituated to. There was a lot of pressure on me," Mr Parrikar said.
Mr Parrikar said that discussions, especially in the media, can be a "spoiler" vis-a-vis implementation of objectives.
"I feel, there are some things where discussions should be minimum. But things need to be made to happen. Discussions can be a spoiler," he added.
Speaking about the media which asked him a few questions about resolving the Kashmir issue, the former Defence Minister said: "Do you want this thing to happen, or do you want it to become news?"
He said discussions bring to the fore multiple opinions, which can prove to be a hindrance in decision-making.
"If you want it to happen, do not discuss it too much in the news. When there is a discussion, one person says one thing, while someone else says something else," Mr Parrikar said.