Kashmir integral part of India: Ram Madhav

Kulgam: Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Ram Madhav said on Saturday that regional parties of Jammu and Kashmir are an impediment to state’s progress and development.
Madhav was speaking to media on the sidelines of a BJP election rally in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
“These two parties (PDP, National Conference) are an impediment to state’s progress and development. Our policy towards Kashmir is based on Atalji’s principle of ‘Insaniyat’ (humanity), ‘jamhuriyat’ (democracy) and ‘Kashmiriyat’ (eclectic culture)”, Madhav said.
Asked about PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti’s statement in which she said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that Kashmir is a loss to the nation then India should leave Kashmir, Madhav said,”Kashmir does not belong to anybody’s father or grandfather. It is an integral part of the country and will always remain as such. Kashmir is the pride of crores of Indian people and it will always remain like that”.
About BJP’s election manifesto that asserts that the party would abrogate Article 370 and 35A, Madhav said, “This issue will be decided by Parliament. All parties will decide this issue. We are fighting the election in the state on the agenda of development; so let us right now focus on this”
Madhav said BJP’s alliance with PDP wasn’t a compromise but a need due to circumstances at that time. In 1975, there was an accord between Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and Indira Gandhi. The aim was to give right direction to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
“But the direction of the state changed completely due to NC’s politics in 1987. Modi joined hands with Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in 2014 to give a right direction to the state once again. Unfortunately, PDP lost the chance to give right direction to the state and tried to take it on the wrong path,” he said. Madhav also exuded confidence that BJP will win more than three parliamentary seats out of six in Jammu and Kashmir in the ongoing 2019 Lok Sabha election.
“We are confident of winning more than three parliamentary seats in Jammu and Kashmir in Lok Sabha elections. BJP has become the mainstream party of the Kashmir Valley, today. We will work for peace and development in the region,” Madhav said while speaking to the reporters in Anantnag.
The BJP leader also assured that the assembly election will be held in J&K very soon.
“Assembly elections will be held very soon and a popular government will come here. We have demanded the ECI to get elections conducted here as soon as possible,” he added.