NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that August 5, 2019, marked the beginning of a new era for Jammu and Kashmir, as the government abolished Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted the state special status. This move paved the way for development, prosperity, and full integration with the rest of India.
Shah blamed previous governments for retaining Article 370, which he described as the root cause of Jammu and Kashmir’s alienation from India. He emphasised that the Modi government’s move had ensured that the people of Jammu and Kashmir now have the same rights as the rest of the country.
Shah highlighted the significant progress made in Jammu and Kashmir, citing the increase in elected representatives, from 90 MLAs and some MPs to over 34,000 elected representatives across various levels of government.
Comparing the record of the BJP-led NDA government with that of the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government, Shah stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism.
Taking a dig at former Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, who had taken his Bharat Jodo Yatra to Kashmir, Amit Shah said, “Someone went to Kashmir and played with snow there. He spotted a terrorist from far away. It is but natural for such people to spot a terrorist, because that is all they can see. They will see terrorists in dreams as well as in Kashmir. But we shoot the terrorist the moment we spot one, right in the middle of the eyes. There is no place in India for people who play Holi of blood,” said Shah, adding that there cannot be two flags, two PMs and two governance systems in one country but some people ran such a system.
Shah also spoke about the extension of several laws to Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, noting that the region has seen an investment of Rs 12,000 crore in the past decade, compared to Rs 18,000 crore in the previous 70 years.
In response to opposition MPs’ queries, Shah highlighted the significant reduction in civilian and forces casualties, terrorist deaths, and organised stone-pelting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir.
Shah attributed the transformation in Jammu and Kashmir to the government’s tough stance on terrorism, which has resulted in a record number of tourists visiting the region.