BASHOLI-KATHUA: Defence minister
Rajnath Singh
on Monday accused
National Conference
(NC), Peoples Democratic Party (
PDP
) and Congress of having “misused”
Article 370
for their political benefits and asserted that the BJP-led Centre “finished” the provision to bring J&K on a par with the rest of the country.
Addressing a rally for Union minister and BJP Udhampur candidate Jitendra Singh at Basohli in Jammu’s Kathua district, Singh listed the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 among the promises fulfilled by the Narendra Modi-led Centre alongside the Ram Temple and implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“BJP is doing what it says but that is not the case with Congress, which ruled the nation for so many decades,” Singh said.
The senior BJP leader also took a dig at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti over her remarks earlier that there would be no one to hoist the Tricolour in J&K if Article 370 was junked. “I want to tell you, Mehbooba Ji, the Tricolour is being unfurled in all parts of J&K,” Singh said.
Referring to another remark from sections of the opposition that there would be “bloodbath” if Article 370 was removed, the defence minister painted a picture of contrast and underscored rapid development in J&K since the abrogation in Aug 2019.
“India has emerged the strongest globally on all fronts under the leadership of PM
Narendra Modi
. Earlier what India used to say at international forums was not taken seriously. But now, the world lends a keen ear to what India says,” Singh said.
The defence minister sought to allay concerns over CAA and the planned Uniform Civil Code (UCC). He asserted that no Indian national would lose citizenship from CAA while reaffirming BJP’s promise to enforce a common civil code.
Singh also flagged the issue “triple talaq”, given the large concentration of Muslims in J&K. “Any woman, irrespective of her faith, is our mother, sister and daughter. How can we accept a system that throws her out of her home? Attacks on women’s dignity will not be tolerated,” Singh said, adding he had a feeling that the building blocks of “Ram Rajya” had started to fall in place.
