Jammu: Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s current visit is marked by buzz over possible significant announcements he may make during twin public rallies in Rajouri and Baramulla vis-à-vis Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for Paharis.
Will he or will he not?
The guess work is on both in the political and social circles while the stakeholders too are keeping their fingers crossed.
Significance of his visit and the likely announcements need to be weighed amid murmurs of assembly elections, which may not be very far away.
Besides the administrative paraphernalia, the entire J&K BJP cadre is upbeat over the HM’s visit with its entire leadership busy to make it (visit) the most memorable one as it may set the tone for ensuing assembly elections.
“Gearing up for elections, the party is confronting certain issues and is looking forward to this visit of the Union Home Minister with much anticipation. To be in election-mode, clear guidelines from the top leadership come as a morale boosting factor for the entire rank and file. The party is presently engaged in “perception building exercise” before the election process sets into motion as it wants to go to public with a clean image and no baggage. Recent change in the leadership of Jammu Municipal Corporation is a part of this exercise. It is hoped that the deliberations with the HM would clear the fog and end the stalemate on this issue as well,” said a senior party leader.
“If he makes a much anticipated announcement also, which seems to be quite likely, this will enhance the party’s prospects further and bolster its confidence,” he added. Reference was to the ST status for Paharis.
Given the sensibilities involved (of other stakeholders), the party is making all out efforts to maintain a fine balance.
However in the past too, his earlier two visits to J&K following the abrogation of Article 370 too had created a buzz.
During his visit on March 18 and 19 this year, during security review meeting, the Union Home Minister had directed the security forces and police to “ensure real time coordination for effective counter-terrorism operations and monitoring activities of terrorists from jails.” He had also ordered further strengthening of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Jammu &Kashmir to choke narco-terrorism.
In his addresses during the visit, he had praised LG Sinha for inclusive development of J&K; for bringing investment worth more than Rs 33,000 Cr and ensuring 100 percent saturation of all welfare schemes. LG Sinha had also won appreciation from him for the mass movement initiated to curb corruption, ensure transparency.
On March 19, while addressing the 83rd Raising Day parade of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Maulana Azad (MA) Stadium here in Jammu, he had stated that the biggest success of security forces, post abrogation of Article 370, was their “Nirnayak” (decisive) control over terrorism in J&K.” He had made another big announcement on the occasion that the government would be able to restore permanent peace in Kashmir, N-E in a few years.
Prior to that on October 24, 2021, the Union Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, while addressing a public rally at Bhagwati Nagar, had asserted that those trying to vitiate peaceful atmosphere in J&K would never be allowed to succeed and the ruling dispensation was aiming at complete “elimination of terrorism here.”
He had maintained the statistics showed a significant decline in the number of killings in the past around 8 years. However, the present administration wanted to create a situation where none would lose life in the mindless violence here in J&K.