Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Jan 6: Turning tables on Congress and other Kashmir centric Opposition parties, Union Minister in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that Kashmir is paying the price of appeasement policy started by Congress Government at Centre since Nehruvean era.
Talking to reporters here today during his visit to Ramban to participate in a party function there, the Union Minister said that the Congress started appeasement of Sheikh Abdullah since 1947 as well as a section of people in the Valley since then.
Terming it a dangerous trend, he said the Kashmir is now paying the price for this appeasement policy started by Congress during the regime of Sheikh Abdullah. This trend was emulated by other Kashmir Centric parties and National Conference (NC) made the appeasement of separatists.
In their bid to one upmanship over each other the political parties stated competitive separatism by appeasing separatists which later entered into a dangerous trend of appeasing terrorists.
Earlier in an interview to news channel, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the situation in J&K has improved after imposition of Governor’s rule. He said the terrorism as well as infiltration has been contained both on border and within Valley and security forces have been given full powers to take decision on their own according to the situation.
He said the retaliation by Indian forces to the enemy during the Modi Government has not been witnessed for decades together and the situation improved a lot on both law and order as well as developmental front in the State.
The Union Minister said the work has been intensified on the developmental projects which were going on slow pace earlier. The projects which were thrown in cold storage earlier have been taken up in hand and in this regard, he cited the example of Shahpur Kandi Project, Ujh Multipurpose Project, Devika Conservation Project , Akhnoor road and bridge over river Chenab in Pargwal area.
He said no one cared for this as these projects could have also been taken up in hand during last 65 years.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that BJP will contest the coming Lok Saba and State Assembly elections on the developmental plank. He, while criticizing the Congress chief, Rahul Gandhi, said that the people will not fall in his trap, who is leveling baseless and false allegations against the BJP led Modi Government at Centre.
The Union Minister, however did not comment on having any post poll alliance in J&K and said the situation will decide the future course of action. He, however, exuded confidence that his party will get majority in the State as well as at Centre on the basis of good work and development done by Modi Government, its transparency as well as dedication and performance of the Ministerial colleagues of PM.
While ridiculing the Congress allegations that the situation deteriorated in J&K State after BJP joined hands with PDP, Dr Jitendra Singh asked: “Was there Ram Rajya during Congress, NC rule. We are atoning the sins of Congress in Kashmir”.
“Had Sardar Patel been allowed to interfere in Kashmir, the situation would have been altogether different. Had Nehru not announced ceasefire in 1947, the PoK would have been with us. The Congress also committed many other blunders and they made agreement with Sheikh Abdullah and later over threw NC Governments twice. Not only this but they rigged the elections in 1987 which was the cause of present turmoil as many youth turned to arms after the elections were rigged”, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh also accused the Congress party and its president Rahul Gandhi of changing discourse on development as the party is afraid if it will raise a debate on developmental issues, it will asked that why the pro -people schemes launched by BJP Government in last four years could not be launched during last 65 years when the party was in power at Centre. This is the reason that party is distracting from the developmental issue, he added. He said it is unfortunate that Congress being such a grand old party is facing the leadership crisis and it has been under one family influence.
Terming Ram Mandir a sensitive issue, Dr Jitendra Singh said nothing more needs to be added to what PM said in his interview on the occasion of New Year.
Dr Singh said that North East will definitely add to BJP’s tally in Lok Sabha elections as people in this region have seen tremendous development during last over four years and PM himself has taken keen interest in the development of this region as he wanted that the region should be developed at par with other regions of the country.
Not agreeing that BJP has shown any dismal performance in the three states where the elections were held recently, Dr Jitendra Singh said that BJP’s vote share increased in MP though party was just behind the majority by some seats. The party’s graph has increased, he added.
“If going by the analogy of the Congress and other opposition parties who said BJP was celebrating the victory in Civic Body elections in Jammu when its vote share has decreased, then going by this theory the party has emerged victorious in MP”, he sserted.
Dr Jitendra said that these are PDP leaders who are quitting the party and BJP can’t be blamed for the same. “If the head of the family could not keep his or her family together, the others can’t be blamed for that”, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh whose chopper could not land at Ramban due to bad weather conditions later held a meeting with Anand Kumar Singh, Member Project NHA and other officers of the organization.
They gave him a complete feed back about the construction work of NH from Udhampur to Ramban and Ramban to Qazigund besides the two highway villages, one being constructed at Kalibari, Kathua and another at Flota, Udhampur.
The NHA officers said that work on NH is in progress and after the completion of construction the distances to Kashmir valley from Jammu will be reduced by 63 kms and it will take five hours to travel to Srinagar from Jammu and vice versa.
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