Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would be restored after assembly elections: Amit Shah assures in J&K rally

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 7 assured that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would be restored at an appropriate time after the assembly elections. The minister reiterated the statehood issue while addressing BJP workers at a rally in Jammu. 

He termed the upcoming election ‘historic’ as it would be the first time that voters in J&K would be casting their ballots not under two flags but under one Tricolour and under one Constitution. “We have only one prime minister from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and he is Modi,” Shah said. 

Asking the opposition to stop misleading people, Shah said that “no power” can talk of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir. “I want to ask Rahul baba and Abdullah sahab, how will you restore statehood? Stop misleading the people of Jammu and Kashmir... this can only be done by the Union government and PM Modi,” said Shah. 

“They (opposition parties) say they want to talk to Pakistan. Let me tell you, until there is peace, there will be no talks with Pakistan... Three families - Congress, the National Conference’s Abdullah family and PDP’s Mufti family - want to take Jammu and Kashmir back to the age of corruption. They say they will bring back the old arrangement... They speak of bringing back autonomy, let me state categorically that no power can talk of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir,” the minister said. 

Accusing previous governments of turning a blind eye to terrorism, Shah said that, in the 10 years under PM Modi, BJP has worked to reduce terrorism by 70 percent and cited the success of the Amarnath yatra and reopening of theatres as proof of this approach. 

The Union Home Minister is on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmit and unveiled the party’s manifesto on September 6, and said that Article 370 was “history” and would never come back. The Union Territory will vote in three phases between September 18 and October 1. Counting will take place on October 8.