JAMMU, Sept 22: There will be no talks with Pakistan till terrorism is eliminated, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday, asserting it is imperative that the BJP comes to power in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure peace and teach the neighbouring country a lesson.
Click Here To Join Daily Excelsior on WhatsApp And Get Latest News
Addressing an election rally here, Shah also slammed the Gandhi and Abdullah families claiming they have joined hands to end reservation but they will not be allowed to do so.
“After the counting of votes on October 8, your so-called ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan’ is going to be closed,” Shah said, taking a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s slogan of ‘Nafrat Ke Bazaar Mein, Mohabbat Ki Dukan’ which he often used during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The home minister castigated the National Conference, Congress and PDP over the issue of terrorism and said no stone-pelter or terrorist will be released from jail.
After forming a government in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP will issue a white paper to expose the role of the three families who had ‘biryani’ with terrorists, he told the rally in support of J-K BJP president Ravinder Raina ahead of the second phase of elections on September 25.
Shah said he would like to talk to the youths of Jammu and Kashmir whom he referred to as “lions”.
“The BJP government is a must in J&K for peace, prosperity and development besides giving a befitting reply to terrorism and teaching a lesson to Pakistan,” Shah said, urging them to vote for BJP candidates, especially Raina whom he praised for strengthening the party in the region.
This was the sixth rally of the home minister in the Jammu region in the past two days after reaching the city of temples on a three-day visit Friday evening. He held five rallies — Mendhar, Surankote, Thanamandi, Rajouri and Akhnoor — on Saturday.
“They (NC-Congress alliance) want to release stone-pelters and terrorists (as promised in their manifesto). Farooq Abdullah is talking about a revival of terrorism in Jammu hills but I want to tell them that this is the Modi government and we will bury terrorism in ‘patal’ (deep inside earth). No terrorist or stone-pelter will be released,” he said.
Shah, who started his speech by paying tributes to Guru Nanak on his death anniversary, said the NC and Congress are batting for talks with Pakistan and resumption of cross-border trade along the Line of Control.
“I want to tell Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi that there will be no dialogue with Pakistan till terrorism is wiped out. I will talk with my lions (youth of J-K) and not with Pakistan,” he said.
Referring to underground bunkers constructed over the years by the government for the safety of border residents, he said there will be no need for such structures as “nobody has the guts to open fire” from across the border.
“Agar wo galti se bhi goli chalayenge to hum yahan se gola chalayenge (If they fire a bullet even by mistake, we will respond with a shell,” he said.
He also slammed the NC-Congress leaders’ remarks on reservation, and said nobody will be allowed to touch reservation given to the deprived sections, including Paharis, Gujjars, Dalits, other backward classes.
“Rahul Gandhi is saying in America that there is now no need for reservation. I want to tell him that you will not be allowed to end reservation for the deserving communities,” he said.
“Gandhi and Abdullah families have come together to revoke reservation, revive terrorism and are talking about terrorism from ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan’. After counting of votes on October 8, your so-called ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan’ is going to be closed.
“I want to ask Abdullah who is responsible for 30 years of terrorism, death of 40,000 people, civil curfew for over 3,000 days… you were enjoying your holidays in London while Kashmir was burning,” the home minister said, adding the Modi government came to power and “cleared terrorists”.
“After elections when our government is formed, we will bring a white paper on terrorism and will fully expose the three families — Congress, Abdullahs and Muftis. We will see who brought terrorism to the Valley and under whose direction, who enjoyed ‘biryani’ with terrorists. We will expose everything,” the home minister said.
Asking people whether the 2019 revocation of Article 370 was good or bad, Shah said Abdullah is talking about its restoration “but nobody can bring it back”.
He said the tricolour is flying proudly in J-K and they want to restore the state flag of NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. “Abdullah do whatever is in your power! But except our beloved tricolour, no other flag will fly in Kashmir.”
The home minister claimed the NC wants to rename ‘Shankaracharya as Takht-e-Suleiman and Hari Parbat as Koh-e-Maran’.
Nobody has the power to make such changes and the two hills in Srinagar will be known by their names till eternity, he said.
Referring to the first phase of elections on September 18, he said the NC-Congress coalition is not going to form the government as they were cleaned up in the polling.
“They will face the same fate in the next round of elections on September 25,” he said.
Shah referred to railway, road, power and health sector projects and said the Modi government will further speed up developmental works and ensure tourism promotion also in the Jammu region which was “ignored” by governments over the years.