CHENANI/UDHAMPUR — Ahead of the third and final phase of polling in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election next week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah intensified attacks on the Congress, NC and PDP on Thursday, saying the three dynastic parties are responsible for terrorism, which has been buried by the BJP and will not be allowed to stage a comeback.
Promising a terror-free Jammu and Kashmir under the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) regime, Shah alleged that the National Conference-Congress alliance would implement Pakistan’s agenda if it comes to power in the Union Territory.
Addressing back-to-back rallies in the Chenani and Udhampur Assembly segments in support of the BJP candidates, Shah said the world has its eyes on the Jammu and Kashmir election, which is taking place for the first time after the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution were abrogated.
The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled the dream of BJP patriarch Syama Prasad Mukherjee in August 2019, when it abrogated Article 370, in line with his slogan — “ek desh me do vidhan, do pradhan aur do nishan nahi chalenge” — Shah said.
The home minister arrived at the venue of his first rally a few hours late after his chopper failed to land at Chenani due to inclement weather. However, he flew to Udhampur and reached Chenani by road.
Mentioning the delay during his speech, Shah lauded the Modi government for providing “Delhi and Gujarat-like roads” in hilly areas.
The BJP leader returned to Udhampur by road and addressed his second rally of the day. He is also scheduled to attend election rallies in the Bani and Jasrota constituencies in Kathua district and March constituency in Jammu district later in the day.
The home minister said whoever spreads terror in Jammu and Kashmir will get his answer at the gallows.
“I want to ask you, whether (Parliament attack convict) Afzal Guru should have been hanged or not? The NC and the Congress are now saying he should not have been hanged…,” he said.
“They want to release stone pelters and terrorists. Omar Abdullah gave up these dreams because you cannot do it. It is the duty of courts and we have enforced such laws that nobody will dare to hurl a stone anymore,” Shah said at the first rally in Udhampur district’s Chenani area.
The first phase of polling was held on September 18, followed by the second phase on September 25. The third phase, covering 40 Assembly seats in Jammu, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua and the north Kashmir districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora, is scheduled to be held on October 1.
“This election is very important as Jammu and Kashmir was under the shadow of terrorism for nearly 40 years. If they (the NC-Congress alliance) win this election, it means the success of the Pakistan agenda,” Shah said.
He alleged that the three “dynastic” parties pushed Jammu and Kashmir into terrorism and said as a result, 40,000 people were killed in 35 years and 3,003 days of civil curfew observed. But after the Modi government came to power and Article 370 was abrogated, there is no stone-pelting, firing or bomb blasts, Shah claimed.
“The NC, PDP and Congress want to revive terrorism. Whatever your wish, we will bury terrorism in ‘pataal’ (under the ground). No one has the power to revive terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as the Modi government is there at the Centre,” he said.
Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s assertion that the INDIA opposition bloc will put pressure on the BJP regarding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood after the election, Shah said, “Omar and Rahul are talking about statehood. When I revoked Article 370, I made a promise of returning statehood to Jammu and Kashmir immediately after the election.
“Modi has also promised it from his public rallies in Srinagar and Jammu. Statehood can only be restored by Parliament and Modi is ruling there,” he said.
The home minister asserted that statehood will be restored in Jammu and Kashmir and it will be done by the Modi government.
Targeting the Gandhis, Abdullahs and Muftis, Shah said the three families ruled Jammu and Kashmir for 75 years but failed to strengthen democracy at the grass-roots level in the region.
“It was Modi who conducted the panchayat and local body polls to give representation to 30,000 people unlike the three parties who were only concerned about 87 Assembly seats. We have put an end to corruption,” he said.
The home minister also slammed the NC and the Congress for talking about restoration of Article 370 and said even the the next three generations of their leadership would not be able to fulfil this promise.
At the Udhampur rally, Shah said Article 370 was the biggest cause behind terrorism not only in Kashmir but in the Jammu region as well.
“This election is being watched by the world as it is happening under one Constitution and our beloved flag. On one hand is the BJP, which has buried terrorism in ‘pataal’, and on the other are the NC, Congress and PDP, who want to restore Article 370 and revive terrorism,” he said.
These parties have talked about releasing stone pelters, dialogue with Pakistan and resumption of cross-border trade, he said, adding, “This is not the Abdullahs’ rule, this is the Modi government and no such thing will be allowed.”
Referring to Gandhi’s recent jibe at Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, whom he described as “king”, Shah said, “Rahul baba is saying outsiders are ruling Jammu and Kashmir. He was referring to the LG. Those guiding him might not be well versed with the history of Jammu and Kashmir, because the longest tenure of central rule in the region had happened during the rule of his grandmother (former prime minister Indira Gandhi) and father (Rajiv Gandhi).”
“It was your grandmother’s father, Jawaharlal Nehru, whose mistake resulted in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir being under the occupation of Pakistan…,” he added.
Shah also slammed Gandhi for his reported remarks on the BJP’s defeat in Ayodhya in the Lok Sabha polls and said he should be ashamed as it was Modi who ensured a rightful place for lord Ram inside a temple in Ayodhya after more than 500 years.
He said Modi provided justice to the Jammu region, which faced discrimination for 70 years, and ensured the inclusion of the Dogri language in the list of official languages. — (PTI)