Former director general of Punjab Police K P S Gill on Tuesday came down heavily on Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, for his statement that the Jammu and Kashmir Police be given a primary role in dealing with militancy, saying that it has made “Central security forces irrelevant.”

Gill, who was addressing a seminar at the Jammu University organised by the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Foundation, said Chidambaram should have discussed the issue with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “The Home Minister came to Kashmir and made a statement that the Kashmir Police should play a major role in tackling militancy. He should have discussed the issue with the Chief Minister. This statement has only made the Central forces irrelevant,” he said.

“Farsightedness to identify strategic interests is lacking. The only interest now is in making Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. Even the present PM has said that Rahul Gandhi has a vision,” Gill added.

Gill said that a national policy on terrorism was missing, given that maintenance of security has been a state subject. He charged the Central Government with giving in to pressure from the Obama administration to begin a dialogue with Pakistan.