Baramulla: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Wednesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking democracy to the grassroots in Jammu and Kashmir and bringing huge investments while replacing stones with laptops in the hands of the youth. He also took a dig at the Muftis, Abdullahs, and Gandhis and blamed them for turning J&K into a terrorist spot and credited the Modi government for turning it back into a tourist spot.
At his first public rally after the abrogation of Article 370 at Baramulla, Shah also said that J&K polls would be held after the completion of electoral roll revision.
“Assembly elections across J&K will be held soon after the Election Commission completes the electoral roll revision process,” Shah said. Launching a series of attacks on the Abdullah and Mufti families and holding them responsible for the miseries of the people of J&K, Shah said that these families ruled J&K for 70 years and were responsible for the killing of 42,000 persons since 1990.
“Abdullahs and Muftis gave stones and guns in the hands of youth. It was Modiji who brought a better opportunity to the youth and handover laptops and mobiles in the hands of Kashmir youth,” Shah said.
“Both Abdullahs and Muftis failed to provide housing to one lakh people. However, it was Modiji who since 2014 gave benefit to such people and provided one lakh houses to them.”
He said that after the abrogation of Article 370, democracy reached rural areas and it was this decision that democracy instead of being restricted to Muftis and Abdullahs reached the grassroots.
“Before that democracy was limited to three families including Gandhis besides 87 legislators and three parliamentarians,” the Home Minister said.
He said that Muftis and Abdullahs never allowed the accountability system to flourish across J&K so that their corruption and scams do not go public.
“During their 70-year rule, the Anti Corruption Bureau was never allowed to set up in J&K to hide their misdeeds,” Shah said.
He said both the Gupkar model and Modi’s model were before the people of Kashmir.
“It is up to the people to decide whether they want Modi’s model of development and prosperity or Gupkar model which stands for destruction,” the Home Minister said.
Ruling out any talks with Pakistan, he said that talks would be held with the youth of Kashmir, and people from Gujjar and Pahari communities but not with Pakistan.
“These suggestions are coming from the people who ruled J&K for more than 70 years. However, I want to say it clearly that I will not talk with a country that spreads terrorism across Kashmir. Instead, I will talk to people of Gujjar and Pahari community of Baramulla besides the youth of Kashmir,” Shah said.
He said that the development and prosperity of PoK were before every one where people were still facing issues of electricity and healthcare besides being deprived of basic rights while in Kashmir electricity was available in every nook and corner.
“A total of 77 lakh people were given health insurance with which they can get health benefits free of cost,” Shah said. “A total of 22 lakh families were given LPG connections while 11.27 lakh farmers were provided Rs 6000 yearly that was directly credited into their accounts.”
The rally held at College Ground Baramulla was attended by thousands of people from across north Kashmir.
The Baramulla town witnessed massive security arrangements on the Union Home Minister’s visit.
Referring to a recent tweet by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti in which she said that the Union Home Minister should give details of their achievement in Kashmir before going back, Shah said, “We will give our account of what we have done but what Abdullahs and Muftis have done in 70 years they should give an account of that.”
He said that the two families who ruled J&K for 70 years were able to bring only Rs 7000 crore investment while PM Modi in just three years brought an investment of Rs 56,000 crore for J&K.
The Home Minister said Kashmir was earlier known as a terrorist hotspot and now it had been converted into a tourist hotspot.
He said that before the abrogation of Article 370, six lakh tourists would visit Kashmir yearly while so this year 22 lakh tourists had made Kashmir their destination which was the biggest achievement of the Modi government.
Shah started his speech with a glowing tribute to the local Maqbool Sherwani who was killed while fighting the tribal invaders in 1947.
Amit Shah halts speech for Adhaan
During his public rally, Union Home Minister Amit Shah halted his speech midway for Adhaan.
Shah halted his speech when he heard the Adhaan from a nearby Masjid in Baramulla and resumed the speech only after the Adhaan concluded.