Chanderkote- Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday alleged that the National Conference, PDP and the Congress wanted to release terrorists and stone-pelters to plunge Jammu and Kashmir into a terror inferno again.
He said the Narendra Modi-led government would provide jobs to youths holding laptops and tricolour in their hands and would not allow these parties to revive terrorism.
“Jails are ready for stone-pelters,” the home minister said, addressing his third election rally of the day here in Ramban district on the last day of the campaigning for the first phase of elections scheduled for September 18.
The home minister also strongly opposed the regional parties for advocating dialogue with Pakistan and the restarting of the cross-border trade, saying nothing of this sort is going to happen till terrorism is completely eliminated.
Referring to the J-K BJP manifesto for the assembly polls, he said a White Paper will be issued after the three-phase elections to ensure accountability for over 40,000 persons who lost their lives in terrorism over the past 35 years in the Union Territory.
“They (NC, PDP and Congress) want to release terrorists and stone-pelters and provide them jobs. I want to tell them that the Modi government will provide jobs to the youth who are holding laptops and tricolour in their hands,” he said at the rally in support of party candidates – Rakesh Singh Thakur (Ramban) and Mohammad Saleem Bhat (Banihal).
He said these parties are advocating dialogue with Pakistan and the restarting of cross-border trade along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir which was suspended in April 2019.
“I want to clarify that no talks will be held with Pakistan till the terrorism is over. Let (NC leader) Omar Abdullah do his best, no trade will be held with Pakistan till the terrorism is buried in the ‘Pataal’ (bottomless pit),” the home minister said.
“Your intention is to bring back terrorism which will not be allowed,” he said criticising Omar Abdullah for saying that Parliament attack convicts should not have been hanged. “You are playing with fire because terrorism does not benefit anyone.”
Shah referred to the NC manifesto and said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi supported it even as the regional party talked about bringing back Article 370 and the second flag.
“Do you need a second flag?” he said to the audience who replied in the negative by waving their hands.
“Rahul baba do whatever is in your power, Jammu and Kashmir will have only one flag and that is our beloved tricolour,” Shah said.
“I want to ask you and the people in Kashmir, especially the Muslim brothers and sisters what Article 370 gave you except poverty, unemployment and terrorism.
“The Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs have no benefit of Article 370, and only these three families — Abdullah (NC), Gandhi (Congress) and Mufti (PDP) — used it for their political interests,” he said.
“Do they deserve your votes? They gave guns and stones in the hands of the youth while ensuring their children get education abroad to enjoy power later,” he said, adding it was the Modi government that provided an opportunity to 30,000 youths by holding panchayat elections in J-K.
He said they are talking about reviewing the reservation given to various communities and “pushing youths into the fire of corruption”.
“We will not allow divisive politics to run in J-K and this is our pledge,” he said.
He asked the people to decide whom they should support. “It is an election between two powers, on one side is BJP and on the other are those who pushed J-K into the fire of terrorism, leaving more than 40,000 martyred.
“I want to ask both Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi whether they are ready to take responsibility for the loss of lives in terrorism. I know they will not,” he said, adding “BJP has decided to issue a White Paper after elections to fix responsibility.”
Referring to the setting up of various educational and medical institutions like AIIMS and the enhancing connectivity, he said the BJP facilitated industrial development and improved electricity supply but the opposition parties want to “throw J-K once again into the fire of terrorism by bringing back Article 370”.
He said BJP is moving forward with its slogan of ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas.
Shah alleged that the National Conference and the Congress which ruled J-K for decades together “murdered development and the future of youth, women, Scheduled Tribes and other sections by not giving them their rights”.
Clear Fight Between Gandhi-Abdullah Families And BJP: Amit Shah
There is a clear fight between the Congress-National Conference alliance and the BJP — one wanting to bring back Article 370, and the other committed to stopping it.
He said voting in favour of BJP candidate Shugan Parihar is not only for development and progress but also to pay tribute to martyrs, including her father.
“This election in Jammu and Kashmir is clearly between two forces. On one side are the National Conference (NC) and the Congress, and on the other side is the BJP. It is a contest between the BJP and the Gandhi-Abdullah families. Both have clear agendas,” Shah told a public rally here.
He said the BJP follows the ideology of Prem Nath Dogra – “One Constitution, one flag, and one Prime Minister,” affirming that Jammu and Kashmir is an inseparable part of India, and “no one can reverse that”.
Shah, who was campaigning in support of party candidates Shugan Parihar, Sunil Sharma, and Taraq Keen, said the NC and the Congress have said they will restore Article 370 if their government comes to power. “The reservations now available to hill people and Gujjars will be taken away under Article 370,” he said.
“It is a contest between those who want to bring back Article 370 and those who have made it history,” he added.
“What (Prime Minister) Modi ji did by removing Article 370 has become a page in history. There is no place left for Article 370 in the Constitution of India. In Jammu and Kashmir, there can never again be two Constitutions, two prime ministers, and two flags. The flag will always be our beloved tricolour,” he said.
Hitting out at the NC and the Congress, he said efforts are still being made, similar to those in 1990, to strengthen terrorism again. “The NC and the Congress have made some promises that if their government comes to power, they will release terrorists,” he said.
“Today, I tell you all that this is the Narendra Modi government; no one has the courage to spread terrorism on Indian soil,” he added.
He accused the NC-Congress alliance of “nurturing” terrorism. “Whenever the National Conference and the Congress formed the government in the valley, terrorism thrived,” he alleged.
“Remember the 1990s… I want to ask (former chief minister) Farooq Abdullah, who was the chief minister then after a pact with Rajiv Gandhi. Where were you when our valley was drenched in blood?” he added.
Shah said voting for Parihar and making her victorious is not just for peace, progress, and development but also to pay homage to the martyrs of this land, including her father and uncle.
Shah said that if the Congress-National Conference alliance returns to power, “there will be shootings again, stone-pelting will resume, funerals for terrorists will be held again, the Tazia procession will be banned again, cinema halls will be shut down again, there will be attacks on the Amarnath Yatra once more, and the investment coming to Jammu and Kashmir will be replaced by unemployment.”
He claimed the Congress, which once called the Abdullah family “traitors” and held them responsible for terrorism, had kept Omar Abdullah’s grandfather in jail for years. “Today, to defeat Modi ji, Rahul Gandhi and Abdullah are saying ‘ILU ILU’ to each other.”
Warning terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said, “There is still time to turn back, otherwise the Indian Army and security forces are stationed here… you will be dealt with right here.”
He said PM Modi has “strengthened” democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. “I want to ask Farooq Abdullah – your family ruled for three generations, but did the people of Jammu and Kashmir ever receive free medical treatment worth up to Rs 5 lakh? Modi ji has provided free treatment worth up to Rs 5 lakh to everyone, from the valley to the plains.”
Recalling the party’s long battle over Kashmir, he said, “Under the leadership of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Prem Nath Dogra, the Praja Parishad and the Bharatiya Jana Sangh fought against the idea of ‘two flags, two Constitutions, and two leaders’ in one country.”
Shah alleged the Congress government, led by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, crushed the movement. “They used to say, even if stars fall from the sky, Article 370 will never be removed.”
Taking a dig at political leaders’ remarks on Article 370, Shah said, “Farooq Ji used to say that even if Modi ji becomes prime minister ten times, Article 370 cannot be removed. Mehbooba ji said that if Article 370 is removed, rivers of blood will flow. But our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi removed Article 370 and established ‘one flag, one leader, and one Constitution’ in the country.”
He described Kishtwar as a land of martyrs. “Due to Congress’ wrong policies, the decision on Jammu and Kashmir’s future during partition was delayed due to Nehru’s Sheikh-supporting policies,” he added.
He further said that whenever there was a crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, the people of Kishtwar never hesitated to sacrifice. “During terrorism of the 1990s, every citizen here fought alongside the security forces and contributed to eradicating terrorism.”
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