Mir Farhat
Srinagar, May 9: Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, Nitin Gadkari, today said that his party is committed to carry forward the peace process which was initiated by former party Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Pakistan.
“We will carry forward that peace process. We are 100 per cent committed for peace with Pakistan,” Gadkari told a group of reporters during an interaction with them at a local Hotel here. He said the party wants peace with Hurriyat, but it has zero tolerance against terrorism.
Gadkari said that BJP has clear stand over the abrogation of Article 370 as it blocks the development of the State. “Our party’s stand is to revoke Article 370 which gives special status to the State. Jammu and Kashmir is grappling with poverty, unemployment and lack of development, and we think to eliminate these issues we have to bring IT industries and technology from outside. Removing special status does not mean we are against people or want to do injustice to them or snatch their rights,” he said, adding, but the people here have to think over it for the development of the State.
On Union Territory status for Ladakh, Gadkari said that BJP stands for it and will hold consultations on that. “There are demands for UT from locals. We will hold consultations on that,” he said.
BJP had made the Ladkah’s UT status their main poll plank in their campaigning for the party’s Parliament candidate for Ladakh Parliamentary seat.
Gadkari also lashed out at National Conference President Farooq Abdullah for threatening of seceding from India if Modi is elected as PM.
“Farooq Abdullah is wrong. He or Congress and other pseudo-secularist parties are deliberately creating fear (of Modi) for vote bank politics. Fear is the biggest capital for them. We don’t discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, language and religion and do not do politics on such issues,” said the BJP leader.
Gadkari also attacked his Opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party (that rules UP) for not controlling the riots and encounters that took place in UP and Maharashtra.
“Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have seen more riots and encounters than Gujarat. For vote bank politics, Congress and other parties are making us villains for vote bank politics and that BJP is against minorities. We have rule in 10 States and we did not discriminate with anybody over religion, caste,” he said.
The former BJP president appealed Kashmiri’s to give them a chance and not to judge them by putting on NC, Congress or PDP goggles. “You gave 60 years to other parties, now give us 60 months and at the end of five years of our term decide whether we are communal or not. First try us for five years and if then see if we are communal,” he said.
Gadkari also ruled out that BJP should engage into a debate with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “There is no need for BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to engage Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a debate over Article 370,” he said.
The BJP leader said that “parivaar” politics has ruined the country and made people suffer. “Sonia Gandhi worries about what will happen to his son Rahul Gandhi; Farooq Abdullah worries about Omar Abdullah and Mulayam Singh Yadav is worried about Akhilesh Yadav. This is parivaar (family) politics. I am a person who used to paste posters and became president of the party on my work and merit. This is BJP. This family politics has made the country to suffer,” he said.
Gadkari also said that BJP has not approached either ruling NC or Opposition PDP to form an alliance with them. “We do not want any party to join us forcibly. If any party wants to come, let it come. If not, then don’t come,” he said.
The BJP leader said that BJP won’t negotiate on the PM candidature of Narendra Modi. “No, there is no question of negotiating on Narendra Modi’s candidature as PM with any alliance partner. We will get a majority under Modi’s leadership,” he said.
Gadkari said that BJP was committed for the development of Jammu and Kashmir. “Unfortunately the developmental and economic issues of the region have never been the basis of the politics here. BJP will give priority to the development of the State after coming to power under Narendra Modi,” he said.
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