Manmohan Singh to skip launch of Saifuddin Soz's controversial book

According to news agency ANI, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided to skip launch of senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz's controversial book. The event is scheduled to be held in New Delhi today. Manmohan Singh's decision comes as Congress is under fire over Soz's controversial take on Kashmir where he has supported Pervez Musharraf's views that "independence" is the first choice of Kashmiris. Congress has already dismissed Soz's views calling it "cheap gimmick" to promote his soon-to-be-released book. 

In his book, Soz has said that "independence" is the first choice of Kashmiris as he supported former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's assessment in this regard. "Musharraf had explained that if Kashmiris were given a chance to exercise their free will, they would prefer to be independent. In fact, this assessment of Musharraf seems to be correct even today," he has written in the book.

Soz, meanwhile, said the remarks made by him are his personal opinion and they have nothing to do with the party and should not be linked to politics. He, however, maintained that the Kashmir issue can be resolved not by using force but only through dialogue. BJP has slammed Soz's comments and has asked Rahul Gandhi to apologise for it. Saifuddin Soz's son Salman, who is also a prominent Congress leader has defended his father saying multiple views can exist inside the Congress party unlike that of BJP. 

Manmohan Singh's decision comes at a time when nationalism has become one of the biggest points of debate in Indian polity. 

With PTI inputs