‘Lotus’ will win hearts, bloom with Valley votes, asserts Amit Shah
JAMMU: Union minister Amit Shah on Tuesday slammed the Congress, National Conference and PDP, alleging that most fake encounters and incidents of firing on youths in Jammu and Kashmir occurred during their rule.
Rejecting rival parties’ charge the BJP was more interested in Kashmir’s land than the welfare of its people, he said the BJP is in no haste and believes in winning the hearts of people as it will ultimately lead to the ‘lotus’, the party’s poll symbol, blooming across the Valley. Addressing an election rally here, Shah said that assembly polls in J-K will be held according to the dateline set by the Supreme Court (September 30). “Nobody should have any doubt on this,” the minister said.
Shah alleged that the Congress, National Conference and PDP exploited the youths of Kashmir. “These three parties did not allow democracy to grow in Jammu and Kashmir... on the pretext of security, our Kashmiri youths were exploited. I want to ask (National Conference president) Farooq Abdullah and the PDP - under whose rule most of the fake encounters took place, who fired on the children of Kashmir and handed the gun to them? It is these three parties.”
But the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, restored peace and ensured development after the abrogation of Article 370, Shah said.
“Modiji restored peace in Jammu and Kashmir. J-K slipped into backwardness due to terrorism and agitations for the past 70 years. Modi facilitated the end of terrorism, fake encounters, stone-pelting, and Pakistan-sponsored strikes, paving the way for development in J-K,” he said.
“The BJP is not among those who occupy land by force but believes in winning the hearts of people,” Shah told the rally held here in support of Jugal Kishore, who is contesting from Jammu.