J&K polls: Amit Shah slams Congress for ‘misleading’ people about 'restoring statehood'
File image of India's Home Minister Amit Shah.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Saturday (Sep 7) held a public meeting in Jammu in preparation for the upcoming elections in the Indian Union Territoryof Jammu and Kashmir. During his speech, he took a shotat Congress and the National Conference (NC) for allegedly misleading the public about restoring thestatehood of the region.
“The Congress and NC are saying that they will restore statehood. Tell me, who can give it (statehood)? Only the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi can. So stop fooling the people. We have said that at an appropriate time after the election, we will give statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. We have said this in Parliament. Rahul Gandhi should stop misleading the people,” Shah said.
Referring to the calls by Leader of the OppositionRahul Gandhi and the National Conference for the restoration of statehood, Shah questioned how they planned to achieve it. He said, "I want to ask Rahul Baba and Abdullah sahab, how will you restore statehood? Stop misleading the people of Jammu and Kashmir... this can only be done by the Union government and PM Modi."
Shah also accused opposition parties of exploiting the former state. Speaking at a gathering of BJP supporters in Palauru, Jammu, Shah brought up the scrapping of Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. He said that this election would mark the first time voters in the region would be voting under one national flag and one Constitution.
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"They (opposition parties) say they want to talk to Pakistan. Let me tell you, until there is peace, there will be no talks with Pakistan... Three families - Congress, the National Conference's Abdullah family and PDP's Mufti family - want to take Jammu and Kashmir back to the age of corruption. They say they will bring back the old arrangement... They speak of bringing back autonomy, let me state categorically that no power can talk of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir," Shah said.
“I want to tell you (Gandhi), no matter how much effort you put in, we will not let the reservation of Gujjars, Bakarwal, Paharis, and Dalits, be touched. There will be no talks with Pakistan,” Shah said.
The Jammu and Kashmir flag lost its official standing after Prime Minister NarendraModi's government removed Article 370 from the Indian Constitution in August 2019.
Jammu and Kashmir's assembly election, the first since December 2014, is scheduled for September 18, 25, and October 1.The results will be announcedon October 8.
(With inputs from agencies)
