New Delhi– Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday ruled out any talks with the Hurriyat Conference, banned Jama’at-e-Islami and Pakistan, saying that the Centre will only speak to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking during the no-confidence debate in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Shah also said that 40,000 people lost lives in Kashmir and that the BJP-led government at the centre has now improved the situation in the Union Territory. PM Modi, he said, took historic decision to completely merge J&K with India.
“Article 370 was a mistake by the Jawaharlal Nehru government. It was abrogated by this parliament on August 5 and 6, 2019. With that, two flags and two constitutions were gone from Kashmir and PM Modi ensured its complete integration into the country,” Shah said.
Taking pot-shots at Congress, the Home Minister said that an NGO inspired by them held a meeting recently and released a report stating that the Centre should hold talks with the Hurriyat, Jama’at and Pakistan.
“We will not speak to the Hurriyat, Jama’at or Pakistan. If we hold discussions, we will hold them with the youth of the Valley. They are our own and we will talk to them,” he said.
Listing the achievements of his government in J&K after abrogating Article-370, Shah said that the August 2019 move has boosted tourism, offered protection to Hindu temples and significantly reduced the instances of stone pelting, which was a common occurrence before 2019.
“In the same Parliament, the Opposition parties used to say if Article 370 is removed from Jammu and Kashmir, rivers of blood will flow. But today no one has the courage to throw pebbles there under the Modi government,” he said, adding that the terrorist sympathisers have been terminated from the jobs while funeral processions are no longer taken out for terrorists and they are buried where they are killed.
The home minister said that the Lakhanpur toll tax in Kashmir, where party ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee had been arrested in 1953 and which was “a thorn in the hearts of crores of BJP workers”, has been done away with.
“There was no reservation for Dalits, tribals and people from the backward classes (in Kashmir). The work of getting them reservation was done by the Narendra Modi government. There were cleaning workers who had been living in Kashmir for seven generations, since the Mughal era, but were not getting domicile certificates. Hindus from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir were not getting domicile. PM Modi ensured that all of them got domicile certificates,” Shah said.
Hitting out at parties “that call themselves democratic”, Shah said three families had ruled over Kashmir – Muftis, Abdullahs and Gandhis – but did not get panchayat polls conducted. PN Modi got them held in November-December 2018, he said.
The minister claimed that between the last nine years of the UPA rule and the nine years of the Modi government, there has been a 68% decrease in terrorist incidents, 72% fall in deaths of civilian and security forces personnel combined, 82% reduction in civilian deaths and a 56% fall in the deaths of security personnel. Mr Shah added that no one now has the courage to indulge in stone-throwing.
The home minister also spoke about the development of tourism in the state since the abrogation of Article 370, as well as the reopening of theatres.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
