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Jammu : Ahead of the crucial Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, held for the first time in a decade, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has drawn a clear line of battle and said that this is election is a contest between the BJP and the Congress-National Conference alliance.
Addressing multiple election rallies in J&K, Amit Shah said that the upcoming elections are a choice between two forces. On one side, the BJP, which upholds the ideals of Pandit Prem Nath Dogra and Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
“We firmly believe that J&K has always been and will remain an integral part of India. When we opposed the idea of ‘2 Vidhaan and 2 Pradhan,’ the Congress, led by Nehru, resisted our campaign.
He further said Farooq Abdullah claimed that even if Modi became Prime Minister ten times, he couldn’t remove Article 370. Mehbooba Mufti warned of bloodshed if Article 370 were revoked. Yet, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed Article 370, establishing one flag, one leader, and one constitution for the country.” Shah emphasized that under the BJP, Article 370 is secure and cannot be reinstated.
“This election is about those who abrogated Article 370 versus those who advocated for it. I ask the Gurjars and Paharis, what has Article 370 done for you in the last 70 years? It prevented Gurjars, Paharis, Dalits, and women from accessing reservation benefits.
He said that PM Modi provided reservations for Paharis, OBCs, and Dalits while preserving Gurjar reservations. For 70 years, they governed Jammu and Kashmir but failed to hold panchayat elections. In just 10 years, PM Modi conducted Gram, Block, and District Panchayat polls,” Shah asserted.
He praised Modi for strengthening democracy in Jammu and Kashmir and compared it with the Abdullah family’s three-decade rule, noting that Modi has introduced benefits such as free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh and subsidized rice to every household, which were absent under previous administrations.
Shah challenged the Abdullah family’s record on infrastructure and questioned their commitment to public welfare, citing the BJP’s “Har Ghar Me Nal Se Jal” scheme as evidence of their development work.
“If the BJP forms the government, we are committed to the development of Jammu, Rajouri, and Poonch. Abdullah, Gandhi, and Mufti claim they will release those jailed for militancy if they come to power. Once we defeat them, we will eradicate militancy from the valley.
He said the same Congress that criticized Abdullah’s family and jailed Omar Abdullah’s father for anti-national activities is now forming an alliance to win the polls,” Shah concluded.
He also called out the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi over their alleged intention to push the region ‘back into militancy.’
Leading BJP’s charge in the poll-bound Union territory, Shah has repeatedly claimed that the Congress and its ally, the National Conference (NC), are ‘soft’ on militancy and plan to release militants and stone-pelters from jails, if the alliance government comes to power.
His claim has already been dismissed by NC vice president and ex-chief minister, Omar Abdullah.
“Once again, efforts are being made to evoke support for militancy here. The NC and Congress have even promised that if they win, they will release these militants. But I assure you today, as long as (prime minister) Narendra Modi’s government is there (at the Centre), no one will dare to spread militancy on India’s soil,” Shah asserted at a rally in Kishtwar.
“Today, I remember all the martyrs of this region and promise that we will end militancy in such a way that it will never rise again,” he added.
Further, Shah reiterated that Article 370, that gave ‘special status’ to Jammu and Kashmir and was abrogated by the BJP-led Centre in August 2019, is ‘history.’
This was Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s second visit to the Jammu region in two weeks. During his earlier visit on September 6-7, he unveiled the BJP’s manifesto for the J&K Assembly elections and addressed a workers’ convention.
Monday marks the final day of campaigning for 24 assembly constituencies, including Padder-Nagseni, which will vote in the first phase on September 18. The BJP has nominated former minister Sunil Sharma for this constituency.
Shah urged support for the BJP candidate, stating, “This election is a contest between two forces: the National Conference and PDP on one side, and the BJP on the other. The NC-Congress alliance has promised to restore Article 370 if they win. Should it be restored?”
He warned that the BJP’s reservations for Paharis and Gujjars could be taken away if the opposition prevails.
“Rest assured, I am closely monitoring the situation in Kashmir, and neither the Abdullahs’ party nor Rahul’s party will form the government in J&K,” Shah assured.
Elections for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly, its first since November-December 2014, will be held on September 18, 25, and October 1. The counting of votes is on October 8.
