Union home minister Rajnath Singh Monday firmly ruled out any rollback of the decision restricting civilian traffic on Jammu-Srinagar highway twice a week for safe movement of forces’s convoys.
Referring to traffic restriction on highway, he said”keeping in view the security of our forces and nation, we won’t succumb to anypressure and will not roll back the decision”.
“I am sure that this must have reached to the quartersconcerned and they should now stop making hue and cry over this,” he said,referring to the criticism of the decision to ban civilian traffic on Wednesdayand Sundays on the highway till May 31.
Promising to continue “zero tolerance” policyagainst militancy and extremism, Singh said the BJP will not allow anyone toplay with the future of youths of Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a rally here, the BJP leader launched a veiledattack on the National Conference and the PDP over Article 370 and Article 35Aof the Constitution related to special status to J&K, saying some leaderswere misleading the people on different issues but the BJP would not let suchthings to continue any longer.
He also referred to the IAF strike across the LOC onFebruary 26 and said the mission was carried out to wipe out the militanttraining camp without attacking Pakistan army or hurting any citizen of theneighbouring country, guided by the spirit of former prime minister AtalBihariVajpayee who used to say that friends can be changed but not neighbours.
“We will continue to adopt zero tolerance against militancyand extremism and a secure India will lead to more determined India. For us,nation always comes first,” the home minister said, addressing his firstelection campaign rally here in support of union minister Jitendra Singh who isseeking re-election from Udhampur parliamentary constituency.
Without naming National Conference and PDP, he said thestate had become a den of corruption under “their rule”.
“There are some people who are creating new problems toconfuse the people and speak against the government. The youths of the stateare intelligent but what is happening in the state,” he said.
He said those who consider themselves ‘messiah’ of Jammu andKashmir are only looking after their political interests and not thinking aboutthe future of the youths.
He said they have no answers and are misleading people ofthe state by raking up different issues. “They can confuse anyone but I, ashome minister of the country, have taken a pledge that we will not allow it tocontinue like that. Let us see what happens”.
Seeking votes for the party candidate, he said, “You arepeace loving people and we will walk with you shoulder-to-shoulder and stand withyou. We will not allow anyone to play with the future of the youth of Jammu andKashmir and will not forgive them”.
He said the BJP does not believe in politics of caste,creed, religion and sect unlike the other parties and practices only the”politics of justice and humanity.”
The home minister said the BJP will never compromise onnational security and asserted that “unless we guarantee both internal andexternal security, neither Jammu and Kashmir nor India will become prosperous”.
“Some leaders are trying to gain sympathy of a particularsection by raising doubts on air strike carried by our brave soldiers acrossthe border. But they are living in a fool’s paradise as people are intelligentenough to understand their motive behind all this nonsense,” he said in anapparent reference to NC president Farooq Abdullah.
On February 26 airstrike, the home minister, “The IAF wentthere to destroy the militant training camp only and did not attacked PakistanArmy or hurt any Pakistani citizen”.
“What happened in Pulwama on February 14 when a suicidebomber attacked a CRPF convoy killing 40 CRPF personnel? They were here tosafeguard the people of the state after leaving their homes. Despite the factthat militants are coming from Pakistan, we did not hurt any citizen ofPakistan or attacked Pakistan army. We only destroyed the militant trainingcamp with so much precaution, remembering the statement of Vajpayee. But theleaders do not understand,” he said.
In an apparent attempt to reach out to Muslims in thecountry, Singh Monday said the BJP does not discriminate against anyone on thebasis of religion.
He made the remark days ahead of the first phase of theLokSabha polls on April 11 when several Muslim dominated constituencies in thewestern Uttar Pradesh besides those in Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal go topolls.
“We do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of (onebeing a) Hindu or Muslim. For us, all Indian citizens are equal,” he said,addressing an election rally here.
The home minister also said the NDA government’s policy hasbeen for ‘SabkaSaath, SabkaVikas (Collective Efforts and Inclusive Growth)’ andit wants to take along people of all religions in the development process.
Singh also said Kashmiris living anywhere in the countrywill be given full protection by the government as well as the BJP.
He said advisories have been sent to all state governmentsto provide security to Kashmiri students and youths living in different partsof the country.
“Kashmiris are also the children of mother India,”he said.
Singh also said BJP workers have been told to provide all kinds of help to any Kashmiri who needs help.