BJP rally boat capsizes in Dal, workers rescued
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 13: A boat carrying BJP activists capsized in Dal lake during an election rally led by its leaders, including Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur and party’s national general secretary Tarun Chugh.
The party had organised a boat rally in Dal lake and one of the boats carrying several activists capsized near Ghat No.17. However, all the activists were rescued immediately.
Locals, along with J&K Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the BJP workers and media persons.
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As a precautionary measure, those who fell into the water body were given medical attention. Besides Anurag Thakur, who is also BJP’s DDC poll Incharge for J&K and BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh, the rally was attended by Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, BJP’s national spokesperson and some local leaders including Sofi Yousuf and Altaf Thakur.
Prior to the incident, the office of Union Minister Anurag Thakur posted a picture on Twitter showing him taking stock of preparations for the Shikara rally along with BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain. Thakur later posted a picture of himself hoisting the BJP flag on the Dal lake with the caption, “Terrorism, separatism are now a thing of the past, Jammu and Kashmir is now walking with the BJP.”
Later addressing a press conference here, Thakur said that people of Kashmir have rejected bullet and strengthened the ballot.
“J&K people have voted immensely in the DDC election and have strengthened the ballot and at the same time, rejected the bullet and guns”, he said.
The BJP leader said that youth have preferred ballot and development and has left the stones and gun. “It was Narendra Modi who made DDC possible and made sure that the development happens on the ground”, he said.
“Money will come, now more will come in comparison to what used to come. This time, people are going to decide where the hospital, school and other developmental works are going to take place”, Anurag said.
The MoS Finance said that Abdullahs and Mufti have got nothing to do with it now; they don’t have a key to anything now. “The main motive of these elections is that the new leadership will emerge and that’s going to be altogether different”, he added.
“People have said no to terrorism and yes to tourism and this is the message of Kashmir that we are giving out to the world from Dal. We want people from all around the world to come to Kashmir as J&K is waiting for them. We will make sure that global tourism reaches J&K”, said Anurag.
The BJP leader said that his party is rooted to ground and they are taking PM’s message to everywhere in Kashmir. “We are people who connect with people; we have always worked on the ground. We remain connected with people and this is how the workers of BJP works. We went to many places during our stay in Kashmir and we will reach each and every place with Narendra Modi’s message”, he said.
He said that BJP believes in development and assured that his party will work for the poor. “We don’t see on the lines of who is Muslim and who is Hindu. This is the mantra of Modi. We do not differentiate. We are here to work for the poor people and that’s what we have been doing”, he said.
Shahnawaz Hussain, on the occasion, said that Lotus is blooming in Kashmir. “Indian flag is being unfurled in Kashmir valley and we are making sure that the tricolour reaches everywhere in Kashmir”, he added.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh while speaking to the press said that they are fighting the forces who have looted J&K for the last more than seven decades. “And people of J&K have rejected the ‘Gupkar Gang’ by voting immensely in the DDC elections”, he said.
“This is the same J&K where Mehbooba Ji used to say that Delhi will not find anyone holding the tri-colour-you see the situation is different today. This is the victory on Narendra Modi’s vision and that of the country’s vision. It is the loss of Mehbooba and Farooq Abdullah-loss of their vision which has now got no takers”, he said.
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