Adding teeth to the BJP’s aggressive campaign in Jammu, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said there will be no option with the Government but to abolish Articles 370 and 35A related to special status to Jammu & Kashmir in the Constitution if “someone” talks about having a separate Prime Minister for the terrorism-affected State.
Addressing an election rally in the border area of Suchetgarh in RS Pura sector late on Monday evening, Rajanth Singh said, "Those who occupied the chair of Chief Minister in the State are now talking about having a separate Prime Minister for Jammu & Kashmir.” He said, "If someone talks like that, we will have no option other than abolishing Article 370 and Article 35A.”
On the occasion, Rajnath asked the Congress and leaders of all other parties to come clean and clarify their stand whether or not they support such demands.
Earlier in the day, BJP reiterated its old demand to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution while releasing party's 'Sankalp Patra' in New Delhi.
The BJP manifesto also promised to annul Article 35A "as the provision is discriminatory against non-permanent residents and women of Jammu & Kashmir".
Addressing an election rally in support of BJP candidate, Jugal Kishore Sharma, ahead of the last day of the campaigning for the first phase of polls on April 11, Singh said, "as Union Home Minister, I visited Kashmir valley on number of occasions and invited all the stakeholders to join the dialogue process".
He said, I even invited separatists, who claim to be 'messiah' of Kashmiri people to join the dialogue process with open arms. He said, "I had even requested the Chief Minister of the State to extend an invitation on her behalf to come on the dialogue table. He said, they refused. They were not ready to hold parleys.
Referring to the dastardly Pulwama terror attack, Singh said, "Jammu & Kashmir is hogging the headlines these days. 40 CRPF jawans were martyred in a terror attack in Pulwama. After that attack, we gave a befitting reply to Pakistan."
He said the country is now in the "strong hands" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
