Former Union Minister and current MP Anurag Singh Thakur today said that after the abrogation of the controversial Article 370 in 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was transformed from a terrorist zone to a democratic one and the current situation on the ground has changed dramatically.
He took a scathing attack on dynastic parties and said that after a long time, BDC and DDC elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir during the Modi government’s rule and grassroots democracy in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has been strengthened. He said that the Modi government fulfilled its promise to strengthen the basic institutions of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir and would also fulfill its promise to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
Thakur categorically denied that his party had any dealings with Engineer Rasheed’s organisation or independent candidates loyal to Jamaat-e-Islami, who are contesting elections in Jammu and Kashmir, and called on the people of Kashmir to reject these candidates in the larger interest of democracy. He made it clear that the BJP would never talk to any party or individual who was against the interest of the country.
“We believe that the state of Jammu and Kashmir should be fully integrated with India and for this we have abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution and done away with the concept of two flags and two constitutions because BJP stands for Ek Vidhan, Ek Nishan and Ek Pradhan,” he said.
He added: “We have no links with independent Jamaat candidates and Rasheed as we totally reject their ideology, so there is no question of having any poll links with them.”
Stating with full confidence that the BJP will win the election without a doubt, he said the Modi government had eliminated terrorism and restored peace in Jammu and Kashmir, and now the border is calm, blood has not been shed, innocent lives have been saved, and investment and tourism and job creation have been boosted. There has been no case of stone pelting, he added.
Insisting that peace is the key to progress, Thakur had earlier said that India’s home minister was hesitant to visit Kashmir because of terrorism, but now anyone is free to walk on Lal Chowk in Srinagar.
The former minister accused the Congress and the NC of hampering the development of Jammu and Kashmir, saying they were not interested in building hydroelectric projects in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, while this time, four large power projects were being built in Kishtwar district, which would increase power generation, create employment opportunities for the locals and ensure happiness of the people. He added that a good network of roads and highways was being built in Jammu and Kashmir, which could generate the best revenue avenue for the locality.
“Youngsters who were earlier lured by political parties to hold stones are now holding laptops and computers. This is the fundamental change that the Modi government has brought in the lives of the people of Kashmir,” he added.
He held former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru responsible for the Kashmir crisis and said thousands of people would not have died if the Congress had not made big mistakes on the Kashmir issue since 1947. He added that today Jammu and Kashmir is expected to reach its peak and become one of the developed regions of the country.
Thakur said that dynastic parties had deprived the local people of decades of democratic gains for the sake of vested political interests, leading to a Kashmiri youth taking up arms, and he also held the Congress responsible for terrorism from Punjab to Kashmir.
The BJP leader said his party government has brought revolutionary changes in Jammu and Kashmir by bringing in high-tech and renowned institutions like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), IIMC, two All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), eight medical colleges, nursing colleges, engineering colleges and others and Jammu is on the path to becoming an IT hub.
Besides, he said, many new hotels have been built in Jammu and Kashmir, Rs 25,000 crore has been invested and another Rs 75,000 crore is in the pipeline. The Katra-Delhi Expressway will reduce the travel time to six hours and the construction of four lanes is underway. He added that the world’s highest railway bridge is in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that justice was done to all communities, STs were given political reservation, Paharis were given ST status, Valmikis and West Pakistani refugees including women were given rights and added that OBC category would also get justice as BJP was committed to their cause as well.
Thakur said some political parties have a vested interest in terrorism and separatism as they want to remain in power so they have been exploiting the sentiments of the people for decades. They even seek support from Pakistan to achieve their agenda. That is why they are harbouring separatists and terrorists as they do not want peace to return to Jammu and Kashmir but with the aggressive policies of the Modi government their footing has now been shaken and they are in great despair, he added.
Tekakul categorically refused to hold talks with Pakistan unless it curbed cross-border terrorism and said the Modi government was committed to zero tolerance for terrorism.
He warned that if Pakistan continued to support terrorism, the Modi government would not hesitate to launch surgical strikes again.
Anurag slammed opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for frequently repeating controversial statements and claimed that his aim was to defame India. “Even foreigners question whether Rahul is an Indian or not,” he said, adding that a Pakistani minister had recently said that Rahul Gandhi should be the prime minister of India.
Thakur termed Rahul a non-serious politician and said the BJP had defeated the Congress thrice while the BJP had failed to win 100 seats in all three elections.
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