Says Assembly elections in Sept
New Delhi: On the 5th anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K, Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy said on Monday that no matter what the Congress or other parties say, the clause will never be brought back.
On August 5, 2019, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, a historic decision was taken in Parliament to remove Article 370, he said.
He attacked the opposition parties and said, “The Congress and the National Conference are saying even today that if they come to power in Jammu and Kashmir, they will bring back Article 370. I want to assure you that neither the National Conference nor the Congress will come to power in Jammu and Kashmir and neither will Article 370 be brought back.”
“Under the leadership of PM Modi Ji, we have done much development work in the last 5 years. The rights given to the people have been implemented by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir,” he told IANS.
“Development will accelerate in Jammu and Kashmir and we will create a new Jammu and Kashmir. We will try to bring light in the hearts of people. We will form the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties, including the Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have criticised the BJP for celebrating the day.
However, the BJP and its supporters view the move as a correction of a historic error and a step towards full integration and development, Opposition parties see it as the degradation of the region’s status and identity.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked Article 370 of the Constitution which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir within the Indian Union. The Centre also brought the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act that bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, in R.S. Pura, he said the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be held in September, urging people in the Union Territory to vote the BJP to power for maintaining the “development tempo” and rooting out terrorism.
He said the activities of Pakistan and its intelligence agency ISI have been largely curtailed in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on August 5, five years ago and warned the neighbouring country against supporting terrorism in the Union Territory.
Reddy, who is also election in-charge of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, was addressing ‘Ekatma Mahotsav’ rally organised by his party on the fifth anniversary of Article 370 abrogation at the Bana Singh Stadium here in the outskirts of Jammu. BJP national general secretary in-charge J&K Tarun Chugh and J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina were among the other prominent speakers.
“The Assembly elections will be held in September and we are sure that the people will vote the BJP to power with full majority given the changes which have been brought by the party by revoking Article 370 and extending B R Ambedkar’s Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir,” the minister said.
Lashing out at opposition parties, especially the Congress and the National Conference, he said they are talking about re-implementing Article 370, which has only brought “death and destruction” to Jammu and Kashmir through Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
“People have to decide which government they want in J&K, the one which is talking about article 370 or the BJP-led government which wants to take J&K to new heights of development, peace and prosperity,” he said.
Terming the abrogation of Article 370 a “proud moment” for the country and the people of J&K, he said nobody had ever thought of such a development even as the foundation for it had been laid by Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee, who laid down his life while opposing the controversial constitutional provision.
“After a long struggle, the people of J&K finally got freedom from Article 370 which led to granting of rights to the women and other deprived sections of society. A new J&K came into being where terrorism, stone-pelting, hoisting of Pakistani flags and insult to the tricolour have become history,” he said.
Asking people not to vote for the Congress and the NC, Reddy said if they return to power there is possibility of revival of terrorism and separatism.
