Rajouri/Poonch. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said India is ready to embrace Pakistan and resume dialogue with it but on the condition that the neighbouring country first gives a guarantee that it will stop promoting terrorism on Indian soil. Singh accused the Congress, National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of acting as “proxies of Pakistan”. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not allow anyone to carry out Islamabad’s “nefarious agenda” in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing election rallies at Kotranka and Sunderbani in support of BJP candidates Choudhary Zulfikar Ali (contesting from Budhal assembly constituency) and Thakur Randhir Singh (nominated from Kalakote-Sunderbani seat) in this border district, Singh said Hindu-Muslim unity was essential for the progress of the country.
Singh said, “They (NC and PDP) are advocating talks with Pakistan, a country which is supporting and promoting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorism and talks cannot go together, but if Pakistan gives a guarantee that it will stop promoting terrorism on Indian soil, then we are ready to accept it and start talks.” The Defense Minister said that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism has taken the lives of thousands of people in Jammu and Kashmir, 80 percent of the victims are Muslims.
He referred to the alleged comment of Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in which he said that his country and the NC-Congress alliance have the same stand on the restoration of Article 370 of the Constitution. On this, Singh said that poverty-stricken Pakistan is interfering in India’s internal affairs. Singh said that the shameless statement of the Pakistani leader is tantamount to interference in India’s internal affairs. He said that Pakistan has become an international brand of poverty and penury and is unable to handle its own affairs, but is concerned about India’s internal affairs.
He said Pakistan has a habit of walking around with a begging bowl and is currently seeking USD 7 billion aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is less than the package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to the US, the Defence Minister accused the Congress leader of defaming India on foreign soil. He said, “Congress should be given a befitting reply in this election.”
Singh said that after the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 in August 2019, the government has got a chance to rebuild Jammu and Kashmir. He said, “No force can restore Article 370 again.” He questioned the election manifestos of NC, Congress and PDP, which talk about restoring the state status of Jammu and Kashmir and said, “The Prime Minister has already promised that the state status will be restored. These parties are misleading the people on this issue.” Singh said that Pakistani refugees and members of the Valmiki community are going to vote in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections for the first time in seven decades, which has been made possible by the BJP-led government by ensuring justice to the deprived population including the Scheduled Tribes.
Pakistan is pained to see democracy flourishing in Jammu and Kashmir: Rajnath Singh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday praised people for turning out in large numbers in the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections on September 18 and said Pakistan is having a “stomach ache” seeing democracy flourishing in the Union Territory after the removal of most of the provisions of Article 370. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Singh accused the National Conference (NC), Congress and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of misleading people by talking about the restoration of Article 370 of the Constitution in their manifestos and said these parties should stop acting as “proxies of Pakistan”.
He said, “More than 61 percent voting took place in the first phase of the assembly elections, which is the highest in 30 years and also surpassed the record voting of 58 percent in the Lok Sabha elections. The message has gone to the world that Article 370 was removed for the betterment of India.” Singh, while addressing an election rally in support of BJP candidate Chaudhary Abdul Ghani here, said, “People have raised the flag of democracy so high that Pakistan is having a stomach ache. We do not want enmity with Pakistan, because we want good relations with all our neighbors. Pakistan keeps doing nefarious activities against India to divert the attention of its people from its domestic problems.” Quoting the statement of Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Singh said that who has given the neighboring country the right to interfere in the internal affairs of Jammu and Kashmir.
Asif had said that his country and the NC-Congress alliance are of the same opinion on the restoration of Article 370. Singh said, “I want to ask my friends from NC, Congress and PDP, are you contesting elections as representatives of Pakistan?” The Defense Minister also said that the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) are upset and want to join India.
Singh said, “They (people of PoK) are seeing the changes in Jammu and Kashmir and the progress of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are considering joining India for their prosperity and they no longer want to live with them (Pakistan).” The Defense Minister said that India has never discriminated between people on the basis of religion and has accepted the residents of PoK as its own.
Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statement “We can change friends, not neighbours”, Singh said that if Pakistan follows the right path, India is ready to have good relations with its neighbouring country. He said, “We should not forget the words of Vajpayee.” Singh said, “NC, Congress and PDP leaders are making a lot of noise about Article 370 and have promised to restore it. How will you restore it, because only the central government has the right to do so?” On August 5, 2019, the BJP-led central government repealed the provisions of Article 370 granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and divided the then state into two union territories.
Blaming Article 370 for the deaths and destruction in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 35 years, Singh said that 80 percent of those who lost their lives due to terrorism were Muslims. He said, “If the NC-Congress alliance comes to power, people will start losing their lives (due to terrorism). Jammu and Kashmir lagged behind because of Article 370.”
The senior leader said that if the BJP comes to power here, it will ensure that Jammu and Kashmir becomes the most developed region of the country in 10 years. He asked the gathering, “The time is gone when there was no tricolour at Lal Chowk, the main centre of Srinagar. Does anyone have the power now to stop anyone from hoisting the national flag there?” Singh accused the NC, Congress and PDP of dividing people on the basis of religion and said that “every person born on the soil of India, irrespective of his religion, is an Indian citizen.”
He said that BJP is the only political party that can restore the glory of Jammu and Kashmir. He said, “After independence, Jammu and Kashmir, which was called heaven on earth, got lost in the vortex of the past. We have to take it out of this vortex and take it forward. Earlier rulers kept it backward and indulged in divisive politics.” Praising the culture of Kashmir, Singh said, “You have seen a decrease in terrorist activities. Jammu and Kashmir is now known as the tourism capital of the country, not for terrorism.” Accusing local political leaders of destroying the region, he said, “Modi’s politics will not let them ruin Jammu and Kashmir further. Jammu and Kashmir has a special place in Modi’s heart.” Singh said that the old political dynasties are only focused on grabbing power while the BJP is implementing Vajpayee’s words “Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat”.