Ramban, 08 September (HS). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has boldly removed Article 370 and put Jammu and Kashmir on the path of peace and prosperity and now no one can bring it back. By removing Article 370 and 35A, a way has been created to take people forward on the path of development. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said this while addressing election rallies in Ramban of Jammu division on Sunday. He appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir that once the Bharatiya Janata Party forms the government here, we will make Jammu and Kashmir the most developed state of the country.
Talking about the people of Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Rajnath Singh said that they are our citizens, Pakistan considers them foreigners but India accepts them as its citizens.
Regarding the assembly elections, Rajnath Singh said that this is not just the election of a union territory but every Indian has his eyes on this election, whether he is in any corner of the country or any corner of the world. He said that during his recent US tour, the representatives there wanted to know from me about the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections and I clearly said that the BJP will form its government with full majority. He said that the eyes of the whole of India are fixed on these elections. He said that under Article 370, there used to be 6 percent to 12 percent voting here, but after its removal, 58 percent voting took place in the parliamentary elections, while in Ladakh this percentage reached 72 percent. The people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh saw fear-free elections for the first time, saw fair and transparent elections for the first time. He called it a big sign towards change.
Rajnath Singh said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are talented and have the ability to do something big. He said that if the Bharatiya Janata Party government is formed in Jammu and Kashmir for 10 years, then this state will become the most developed state of the country. He said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in 2014, our economy was at the 11th place but today we are at the 5th place and will soon become the third largest economy. He said that give BJP a chance, we will bring about big changes as we have done in the last 10 years. He said that after the removal of Article 370, the picture and fate of Jammu and Kashmir has changed. Earlier there was an atmosphere of terrorism here, even the procession of Tazia did not take place. Now the atmosphere has changed.
Every section of the society has got justice under the leadership of a strong Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that after independence, daughters were not safe here, the weaker sections of the society could not vote. Congress was in power at the Centre for a long time but the refugees from West Pakistan and the Valmiki community were not given the right to vote. He further said that they were given rights under Modi's rule, along with ST status to the Pahari community and political reservation to Gujjar Bakarwal and Paharis.
The Union Minister said that people used to say that if Article 370 is removed then Jammu and Kashmir will be on fire. BJP removed Article 370 with full force and no one had the courage to oppose it. He said that National Conference has said in its election manifesto that they will come and restore Article 370 but no one has the courage to bring it back. He said that as long as BJP is there, no one can bring back Article 370. After the removal of Article 370, for the first time in the history of India, the G20 meeting was held in Jammu and Kashmir. For the first time in the history of independent India, a G20 meeting was held in Jammu and Kashmir, which is a historic event.
Rajnath Singh said that Jammu and Kashmir is not known as a stronghold of terrorism but as a tourist destination. There is a huge influx of tourists here. Work is being done on railways, roads and infrastructure at a fast pace. He promised that if the BJP government comes, the border areas will be developed on a priority basis. Now the last village on the border will be called the first village of the country and we will also develop them.
While highlighting the development achievements, Rajnath Singh said that earlier it used to take 14 hours to travel from Jammu to Kashmir, now it takes 4 to 4-5 hours to travel from Jammu to Kashmir. We need a government that works so that big changes can be brought about. He said that an investment of Rs 38 thousand crore has been made in Jammu and today children in Kashmir have laptops in their hands, not pistols.
The Defence Minister revealed that he made every possible effort to restore peace and order in Kashmir and there was a time when our MPs went to the door of Hurriyat but they did not open the door. He said that we withdrew cases against innocent children and took steps wholeheartedly to improve the situation in Kashmir but these people did not cooperate. He said that Kashmiri leaders always sympathized with terrorists and today Omar Abdullah says that Afzal Guru should not have been hanged. Should he have been garlanded with flowers?
While talking to the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, the Defence Minister said that the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir are ours and they should come with us. People of POJK listen, Pakistan considers you foreigners but we consider you our own. Come with us. He appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to form a Bharatiya Janata Party government here and then the people of POK will also say that they want to go with India.
Concluding his speech, he said that we will fulfill everything that we have said in the election manifesto. Many senior BJP leaders were also present on this occasion along with Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.