NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that Article 370 had “sown the seeds of separatism in the valley”, which ultimately evolved into terrorism. Praising the Modi government’s “strong resolution” that led to the abrogation of the article, Shah described the decision as the catalyst for establishing a “Naya Kashmir“.
Speaking at the launch of the book “J&K and Ladakh Through the Ages”, Shah said, “Article 370 sowed the seeds of separatism in the valley which later turned into terrorism. Article 370 spread a myth that the connection between Kashmir and India is temporary. There was terrorism there for decades and the country kept watching. After the abrogation of Article 370, terrorism is reduced by 70%. Congress can accuse us of whatever they want.”
He further described these articles as major roadblocks to Kashmir’s unity with the nation and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s leadership in abrogating Articles 370 and 35A, which also helped revitalise the languages of Kashmir through the creation of two Union Territories.
“We not only controlled the terrorism, but the PM Modi government also demolished the terror eco-system from the valley. Article 370 and 35A, were the articles that stopped the unison of Kashmir with the rest of the country. PM Modi’s strong resolution abrogated Article 370. This began the development of Kashmir along with the rest of the country,” Shah said.
“I want to thank PM Modi for giving a new life to the languages of Kashmir by making two Union Territories. PM Modi insisted that every language spoken in Kashmir should be given importance and has to be included. This proves how a PM of any country can be sensitive towards the languages of the country,” he added.
He further asserted that Kashmir is also “known as the land of Kashyap. It may be possible that it may have been named after him.”
According to Shah the book “J&K and Ladakh Through the Ages” presents all factors in detail, from “the art in the ruins of old temples that proves that Kashmir is a part of India only. All the history from Buddhism, to demolished temples, to the use of Sanskrit, to the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, to Dogra reign, to the mistakes made after 1947 and to their rectification, all the 8000 years of history are included in this book.”
On August 5, 2019, Modi government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganised the region into two Union Territories. This decision sparked a huge political and social transformation in a region that had enjoyed special rights since Independence.
Earlier speaking to news agency ANI, chief minister Omar Abdullah commented on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, stating, “The BJP should talk about the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir if they are so worried about the state.”