Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 23: BJP president Amit Shah has taken hard stand against anti-national elements and stone pelters in Kashmir and called for strict action against all those, who were trying to disturb the peaceful Valley at the behest of Pakistan.
Though the BJP president has endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demand for holding dialogue with various stakeholders, he has asserted that the talks will be held only with those, who express faith in the Indian Constitution and not with those, who were challenging unity and integrity of the country.
Amit Shah, according to sources, made these remarks at a meeting with top BJP leaders from Jammu and Kashmir in the Union capital last night.
The meeting was attended by BJP national general secretary and party’s pointman on Jammu and Kashmir, Ram Madhav, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh, Health and Medical Education Minister Bali Bhagat, Industries and Commerce Minister Chander Prakash Ganga, Jugal Kishore Sharma, MP, State BJP president Sat Sharma and Ashok Koul, State organizing secretary.
Amit Shah had detailed review of 46-day long unrest in Kashmir with the party leaders, his first since the trouble broke out in the Valley on July 8 in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
Insiders told the Excelsior that Shah sought detailed report on the Valley situation from the party leaders and elicited their opinion on the steps that can be taken to control unrest at both Government and political level.
The BJP president, however, took hard stand against those indulging in stone-pelting, issuing calendars of protests and inciting teen-agers to target security forces installations and police camps, which, in turn, lead to their killing and injuries.
He reportedly told the State BJP leaders that there can be no compromise on those challenging and questioning unity and integrity of the country by resorting to violence and holding entire Valley to the ransom for past more than one and half month.
“There has to be talks on Kashmir. The Prime Minister has said this. But, the talks have to be held within the parameters of the Indian Constitution. The talks can’t be held with those working at the behest of Pakistan,’’ Shah told the party leaders, in a pointer towards the separatists.
Insiders said Amit Shah was highly critical of stone-pelters and their instigators and called for stern action against them saying they had to be dealt with strictly especially those, who were driving youth and children to the violence, deviating them from the studies and ruining their career.
According to them, Amit Shah also reviewed political situation in Jammu and Kashmir including working of first-ever PDP-BJP coalition Government headed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and called for co-ordination between the two Alliance partners for furthering developmental works in the State.
He reviewed performance of the BJP Ministers and called upon them to give their more to the State by focusing on development and strengthening the party in all three regions of the State while being in power.
Pointing out that BJP has three Lok Sabha members out of six in Jammu and Kashmir and 25 MLAs, Shah reportedly told the party leaders that each of them should make it a point to tour one area of their constituency every week, inter-act with the people and have co-ordination with them.
Referring to series of welfare measures taken by Narendra Modi headed BJP Government at the Centre, he called upon the State BJP Ministers and leaders to take benefits of them and lead the State towards path of development and progress.
According to sources, all BJP leaders present in the meeting gave their view point individually to Amit Shah on prevailing situation in the Kashmir valley including the measures that can be taken to control the unrest, working of the coalition Government, steps taken for development of the State and strengthening the BJP at grass root level.
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