India
Modi govt to bury attempt to revive 90s terrorism in J&K: Amit Shah | India News – Times of India
JAMMU/SRINAGAR: Efforts are being made to revive the unrest of the 1990s in J&K, but the Narendra Modi government will bury terrorism so deep that it will never raise its ugly head again, Home Minister Amit Shah said at a campaign rally in Kishtwar district of Jammu division.
He urged voters to give the National Conference-Congress coalition a crushing defeat in the elections because they thought they could get away with it “by promising to release jailed terrorists if elected to government”.
“I assure you that no one will dare to commit terrorism as long as the Modi government is in power,” he told the gathering at Toad-Nagseni assembly constituency.
“We have strengthened the ranks of village defense guards and special police. We have replaced their outdated rifles with SLRs. We are creating a security network. Terrorists will show up every now and then, only to be massacred.”
Shah termed it a shame that the two parties responsible for the growth of separatism and terrorism in J&K have now joined hands to contest the elections on the promise of peace.
“NC Congress officials say that if they form the government, they will restore Article 370. Tell me, should it be restored?” the interior minister said, as the audience chanted “no” in unison.
“Don’t worry, I am there and watching the situation in J&K. Rest assured that neither (Farooq) Abdullah’s nor Rahul Gandhi’s party will form the government.”
Shah said NC leader Farooq should tell voters where he was when violence against Kashmiri Pandits was at its peak in Kishtwar and elsewhere in J&K, resulting in a mass exodus. “I know where he was then. He was enjoying the beaches near London,” he alleged.
“These parties (NC and Congress) have sidelined Maharaja Hari Singh (the former last monarch of the princely state of Kashmir). Only his body was returned to J&K.”
Shah also hit out at NC vice-president Omar Abdullah for going back on his statement that he would not contest the state assembly elections after losing the Lok Sabha battle. “He then decided to contest on two seats. I can tell you that you cannot win either of them,” he predicted.
The Home Minister’s visit to Jammu region was his second since September 6. Prime Minister Modi had campaigned for the BJP in Doda over the weekend.
BJP has fielded former minister Sunil Sharma in Padder-Nagseni and Shagun Parihar, daughter of slain party functionary Ajit Parihar, in Kishtwar. Shagun’s father and her uncle Ajit, who was BJP’s J&K secretary, were shot dead in November 2018.
Shah referred to the killings in his speech. “The sacrifices of Chanderkant Sharma (an RSS functionary who was killed in April 2019) and the Parihar brothers are still fresh in our memories,” he said.
Monday was the last day of campaigning for the elections in the 24 constituencies, including Padder-Nagseni, where voting will take place in the first of three phases on September 18.
He urged voters to give the National Conference-Congress coalition a crushing defeat in the elections because they thought they could get away with it “by promising to release jailed terrorists if elected to government”.
“I assure you that no one will dare to commit terrorism as long as the Modi government is in power,” he told the gathering at Toad-Nagseni assembly constituency.
“We have strengthened the ranks of village defense guards and special police. We have replaced their outdated rifles with SLRs. We are creating a security network. Terrorists will show up every now and then, only to be massacred.”
Shah termed it a shame that the two parties responsible for the growth of separatism and terrorism in J&K have now joined hands to contest the elections on the promise of peace.
“NC Congress officials say that if they form the government, they will restore Article 370. Tell me, should it be restored?” the interior minister said, as the audience chanted “no” in unison.
“Don’t worry, I am there and watching the situation in J&K. Rest assured that neither (Farooq) Abdullah’s nor Rahul Gandhi’s party will form the government.”
Shah said NC leader Farooq should tell voters where he was when violence against Kashmiri Pandits was at its peak in Kishtwar and elsewhere in J&K, resulting in a mass exodus. “I know where he was then. He was enjoying the beaches near London,” he alleged.
“These parties (NC and Congress) have sidelined Maharaja Hari Singh (the former last monarch of the princely state of Kashmir). Only his body was returned to J&K.”
Shah also hit out at NC vice-president Omar Abdullah for going back on his statement that he would not contest the state assembly elections after losing the Lok Sabha battle. “He then decided to contest on two seats. I can tell you that you cannot win either of them,” he predicted.
The Home Minister’s visit to Jammu region was his second since September 6. Prime Minister Modi had campaigned for the BJP in Doda over the weekend.
BJP has fielded former minister Sunil Sharma in Padder-Nagseni and Shagun Parihar, daughter of slain party functionary Ajit Parihar, in Kishtwar. Shagun’s father and her uncle Ajit, who was BJP’s J&K secretary, were shot dead in November 2018.
Shah referred to the killings in his speech. “The sacrifices of Chanderkant Sharma (an RSS functionary who was killed in April 2019) and the Parihar brothers are still fresh in our memories,” he said.
Monday was the last day of campaigning for the elections in the 24 constituencies, including Padder-Nagseni, where voting will take place in the first of three phases on September 18.
