RAMBAN: The day isn’t far when people in restive Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) would express their desire to be part of India after being treated as “foreigners” in their land all these years, defence minister Rajnath Singh told a large gathering Sunday at a poll rally in Ramban district of Jammu.
“Recently, the additional solicitor general of Pakistan presented in court a resolution describing PoK residents as foreigners.I want to tell them that our govt considers the people of PoK our own,” he said while campaigning for BJP‘s Rakesh Singh Thakur.
“We want them to join us. If voted to govt, we will make J&K a model state in the next 10 years.”
At a rally in Banihal for BJP candidate Mohd Saleem Bhat, the defence minister iterated that India was ready to start a dialogue with Pakistan if the latter stopped sponsoring terrorism in J&K.
“Who would not like to improve relations with neighbouring countries? We also want improved relations with Pakistan, but first, they should stop terrorism.”
J&K’s first assembly election in a decade starts Sept 18 with the first of three phases of polling. In Ramban, BJP nominee Thakur is up against National Conference‘s Arjun Singh Raju and rebel candidate Suraj Singh Parihar.
The defence minister termed the electoral exercise a “historic” one that the world would be keenly watching. “I was recently in the US, and people of Indian origin there asked me what the J&K election would yield. I categorically told them that Kashmir would have a BJP govt,” Singh said. “You will see a new J&K.”
Without naming PDP chief and ex-CM Mehbooba Mufti, he said people who declared J&K would be on fire if Article 370 were touched had realised that the BJP-led govt at the Centre was not one to back out of taking tough decisions. “We abrogated it openly and not a single bullet was fired. Rather, a peaceful atmosphere has prevailed across J&K since.”
Home minister Amit Shah had said while releasing BJP’s manifesto for the polls Friday that Article 370 was “history”.
Singh echoed Shah’s remark while slamming Farooq Abdullah’s NC for promising to restore the abrogated provision that used to guarantee special status to J&K. “I want to tell them that no power on earth can bring back Article 370 till BJP is there.”
The defence minister also fired a salvo at Farooq’s son and NC vice president Omar Abdullah for suggesting that Afzal Guru should not have been hanged after being convicted in the Parliament attack case. “What were we supposed to do with Guru if not hang him? Garland him?”
He said the Narendra Modi govt believed in solid governance, from punishing the guilty to getting justice for the oppressed.
“In J&K, daughters were not safe, and the marginalised, including refugees from West Pakistan and the Valmiki community, were denied the right to vote. Under Modi’s leadership, these people were granted their rights. The Pahari community received ST status. They were also provided political reservation, as were the Gujjar-Bakarwals.”
“Recently, the additional solicitor general of Pakistan presented in court a resolution describing PoK residents as foreigners.I want to tell them that our govt considers the people of PoK our own,” he said while campaigning for BJP‘s Rakesh Singh Thakur.
“We want them to join us. If voted to govt, we will make J&K a model state in the next 10 years.”
At a rally in Banihal for BJP candidate Mohd Saleem Bhat, the defence minister iterated that India was ready to start a dialogue with Pakistan if the latter stopped sponsoring terrorism in J&K.
“Who would not like to improve relations with neighbouring countries? We also want improved relations with Pakistan, but first, they should stop terrorism.”
J&K’s first assembly election in a decade starts Sept 18 with the first of three phases of polling. In Ramban, BJP nominee Thakur is up against National Conference‘s Arjun Singh Raju and rebel candidate Suraj Singh Parihar.
The defence minister termed the electoral exercise a “historic” one that the world would be keenly watching. “I was recently in the US, and people of Indian origin there asked me what the J&K election would yield. I categorically told them that Kashmir would have a BJP govt,” Singh said. “You will see a new J&K.”
Without naming PDP chief and ex-CM Mehbooba Mufti, he said people who declared J&K would be on fire if Article 370 were touched had realised that the BJP-led govt at the Centre was not one to back out of taking tough decisions. “We abrogated it openly and not a single bullet was fired. Rather, a peaceful atmosphere has prevailed across J&K since.”
Home minister Amit Shah had said while releasing BJP’s manifesto for the polls Friday that Article 370 was “history”.
Singh echoed Shah’s remark while slamming Farooq Abdullah’s NC for promising to restore the abrogated provision that used to guarantee special status to J&K. “I want to tell them that no power on earth can bring back Article 370 till BJP is there.”
The defence minister also fired a salvo at Farooq’s son and NC vice president Omar Abdullah for suggesting that Afzal Guru should not have been hanged after being convicted in the Parliament attack case. “What were we supposed to do with Guru if not hang him? Garland him?”
He said the Narendra Modi govt believed in solid governance, from punishing the guilty to getting justice for the oppressed.
“In J&K, daughters were not safe, and the marginalised, including refugees from West Pakistan and the Valmiki community, were denied the right to vote. Under Modi’s leadership, these people were granted their rights. The Pahari community received ST status. They were also provided political reservation, as were the Gujjar-Bakarwals.”