'JKNC-Congress Want to Restore Article 370 To Bring Back Separate Flag': Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched a volley of questions at the Congress party over the alliance with the National Conference (NC) for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections and asserted that both the parties want to push J-K back to the ‘dark old days of despondency’ by restoring Article 370 and bringing separate flags in the valley.

“They (NC-Congress) are saying that they will reintroduce a separate flag and they want to reinstate Article 370,” said Shah, during an interview with Daily Excelsior on Thursday. “It is an unforgivable sin on the part of the Congress and the National Conference to make such brazen attempts to push Jammu and Kashmir back to the dark old days of despondency by coming up with regressive agendas,” he added.

Shah reiterated that the BJP had fulfilled its primary goals behind the historic decision of abrogating Article 370 in 2019 and as per the roadmap,  Jammu and Kashmir had gone through a comprehensive transformation in all fronts of development.

The Union Home Minister mentioned that after abrogation of Article 370 for the first time in history, women in the valley got their rights.

“But today, the NC and the Congress want to take those rights away. They want to release the people involved in terrorism and stone-pelting from jail so that they can wreak havoc in Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, and Doda,” he added.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government revoked Article 370 and Article 35A in 2019 and reorganised Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

However, NC Vice President Omar Abdullah while releasing the party’s manifesto for the upcoming J-K Assembly elections said, “We strive to restore (Articles) 370-35A, and statehood as before August 5, 2019.”

NC-Congress Hell-Bent to End Quota for Gujjar, Dalit, OBCs

Shah asserted that both NC-Congress want to end the reservation system for the Paharis, Bakarwals, Gujjarsm Dalits and OBCs. “This agenda belongs to the National Conference, but the Congress is with them. If they win, then they will certainly revoke the reservation. They are not using very harsh language on reservations because there is an election ahead,” he said.

He further asked the people of Jammu and Kashmir how they would get the reservation if the NC-Congress restored Article 370 after coming to power. “People need to understand that if Congress wins, then the OBCs, no matter whether they are Hindus or Muslims, Gujjars or Paharis, even Dalits will lose the benefits of reservations,” he added.

He further asked both parties to beg forgiveness from the people of the valley for ‘all the sins they committed.’ “Both of these parties are responsible for what the people of Jammu and Kashmir suffered for so many decades. They with their acts of omission and commission pushed Jammu and Kashmir into the abyss of corruption and the hellfire of violence,” Shah said during the interview.