‘PM made Kashmir tourist hub from terror hub’
Elections after final voter list, other preparations are completed
Gupkar Alliance laid red carpet for Pak terrorists
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Oct 5: Union Home Minister Amit Shah today ruled out holding any dialogue with Pakistan and asserted that Modi Government will wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir and make it the most peaceful place in the country.
Addressing a huge rally which was attended by thousands of people in Baramulla, Shah asked whether terrorism has ever benefited anyone as the menace has claimed 42,000 lives since the 1990s in Jammu and Kashmir.
Click here to watch video
The HM said that there won’t be any talks with Pakistan but only with the youth of J&K.
“Some people talk about Pakistan here. I want to tell them today, bring the status about the number of villages in PoK that have been electrified. Electricity has reached every village in our Kashmir. Mufti and company, and Abdullah and sons ruled Kashmir for 70 years, but did not provide one lakh houses, but PM Modi, from 2014 till 2022, has given houses to one lakh people in J&K,” Shah added.
Taking a jibe at the National Conference and PDP presidents on their demands to talk to Pakistan, the Home Minister said that he does not want to talk to the neighbouring country, and intends to talk to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir instead.
“Those who ruled for 70 years here suggest me to talk to Pakistan. I have a clear view, I do not want to talk to Pakistan, I want to talk to the Gujjars, Paharis and Bakerwals in Baramulla. I want to talk to the youth of Kashmir. Think with open eyes and minds, those who spread terrorism, what good have they done to Kashmir?” he said adding that J&K has to join the race with other States which are moving ahead in the country.
The Home Minister said that announcement with regard to elections in J&K will be made once the final voter list and other preparations are completed.
“We have started a political process. I want to assure you that once the work of publishing electoral rolls by the Election Commission is completed, elections will be conducted with full transparency and your own elected representatives will govern here,” he said.
Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has almost ended the ecosystem of terrorism in J-K.
“If anyone supports terror in your locality, please make him understand that Kashmir will not benefit from terrorism. Kashmir will benefit from democracy, from industries being set up here and other development works,” he said.
Appealing to youths to shun the gun, the Home Minister said they do not need to tread the path of militancy but of development.
While launching an attack on former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, Shah accused the Gupkar alliance of “laying a red carpet” for Pakistani terrorists into the country.
Shah said that the PAGD model had presented the youth of the region with stones, closed colleges and machine guns in their hands, whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s model has brought them education.
“There are two models. One of PM Modi which gives employment, peace and brotherhood; and another is the Gupkar model which led to the Pulwama attack. PM Modi made a hospital in Pulwama at an expense of Rs 2,000 crore. The Gupkar model is laying the red carpet for the Pakistani terrorists into the country, whereas the Modi model is implementing an investment of Rs 56,000 crore on the ground giving employment to the youth. Gupkar model placed stones, closed colleges, and machine guns in the hands of the youth. Modi model has IIM, IIT, AIIMS, NIFT and NEET for the youth. The youth wants education, not stones in their hands,” he said.
Shah asked the former Chief Ministers about the amount that was brought into J&K as an investment during their respective tenures.
“I have come today to ask Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti how much investment did you draw in J&K during the 70-year rule of the three families. How many industries were set up? How many youths were given employment? An investment of merely Rs 15,000 crore was done here in 70 years. PM Modi has brought an investment of Rs 56,000 crore in these three years in the region,” he said.
He also blamed the families of the Abdullahs (National Conference), Muftis (PDP) and Nehru-Gandhi (Congress) for the alleged underdevelopment of Jammu and Kashmir as they ruled the erstwhile State most of the time since the country’s independence in 1947.
“Has terrorism done any good to anybody in the world? Can the sympathisers of terrorism tell of any such incident? 42,000 people of J-K have been victims of terrorism from 1990 till today. Who is responsible for their deaths? The three families that ruled here were responsible. Terrorism is moving towards extinction,” he said.
Lauding PM Modi for bringing investment into J&K, Shah said that the region which was known to be a “terrorist hotspot” has now become a “tourism hotspot”.
“Earlier, this was a terrorist hotspot, now it’s a tourism hotspot. You (Farooq and Mehbooba) gave stones and guns in the hands of the youth, whereas PM Modi gave laptops and mobiles into their hands by bringing industries here,” Shah said.
He said that Baramulla was once a hot bed of militancy and militant related activities were common here but “today this place is the hot spot of tourists.”
“Sprawling Gulmarg the skiers’ paradise, the shrines and the breath-taking snow clad mountains of this place are attracting tourists in large numbers,” he said.
He added that without Prime Minister Narendra Modi, development of J&K was impossible. “Today, we have best roads, rail links, bridges and hospitals,” Shah said, adding that “We have nine Medical Colleges to J&K besides AIIMS and Nursing Colleges.”
He said that Gujjars, Bakerwals and Paharis will be given due reservation as they were deprived of the benefits of democracy since past 75 years.
The Home Minister praised Maqbool Sherwani for his role against Pakistani invaders.
Pauses speech for ‘Azaan’, removes BP shield
Union Home Minister Amit Shah today briefly stopped his speech during a rally in Baramulla district as ‘Azaan’ or Muslim call to prayer was going on from a nearby mosque.
Five minutes into his about half-an-hour speech at Showkat Ali stadium in this North Kashmir district, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader paused and asked those on the stage “if something was going on at a mosque”?
When someone on the stage told him that ‘Azaan’ was going on, Shah stopped his speech, attracting a huge round of applause and chanting of slogans in his favour from the gathering.
After a brief moment, he said the call for prayer has now stopped and asked if he would continue his speech.
“Should I start or not? Say it loudly, should I start,” he asked and then went on with his speech.
Earlier, before his address to the rally, Shah got bulletproof glass shield removed from the podium. He did so to speak to the people directly.
After finishing his speech, he also came down from the podium and met people.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
