JK News Today
Jammu, February 14 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah whose ministry looks after Jammu and Kashmir has cleared the air on elections and statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, saying , the “Election Commission will take call on elections and the statehood would be restored to the Union Territory once the Assembly elections are over . At the same time , he demanded to know from the leadership of National Conference , in. particular Farooq Abdullah that how terror was allowed to grow during his tenure as Chief Minister , and when the situation slipped out of control, he fled to England .
Regarding elections and the statehood for J&K, this is the most categorical assurance and announcement made by Union Home Minister. It seeks to allay apprehensions of all those who are asking for the polls in the Union Territory . This should help the political skeptics and others to calm their apprehensions, as this is in line with the consistent stand of the Modi government , made at the time of the abrogation of Article 370 and split of the erstwhile state into two union territories of Ladakh and J&K on August 5.
The Home Minister , on August 5 and 6 had told the Parliament that the statehood would be restored to the UT of J&K once the conditions improve over there. Later, the issue got linked to the completion of the Delimitation exercise and revision of electoral rolls- the two exercises were completed on May 5 and November 25, 2022.
Amit Shah , in an interview with news agency ANI said that the Election Commission of India will be taking a call on elections in J&K and the statehood would be restored after the polls .
He also claimed that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed tremendous improvement in the situation and the terrorism-related incidents have declined to the lowest level .
Shah said Article 370 pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir, which was abrogated by the BJP-led government in 2019, had harmed the country.
He said the way development is taking place in Jammu and Kashmir, militancy is gradually ending.
“See all the figures, there is a lot of change in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The minister said he cannot comment on the timing of the polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
“I had clearly stated that statehood will be restored in Jammu and Kashmir after elections. Process of preparation of voters’ list is nearing completion in the UT. Now, the Election Commission has to take a call on elections,” he said.
Asked about his earlier statement mentioning the emergence of new leadership in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said that new leadership will emerge from local bodies where polls had been held earlier.
“The panchs and sarpanchs who have been elected, new leadership will emerge from them…Since the time terrorism started in Jammu & Kashmir, the militancy-related figures are at its lowest today. Crores of tourists and yatris are visiting Jammu and Kashmir now. This is a huge change,” he said.
Shah said removing Article 370 has been on the agenda of BJP and Jan Sangh. He also referred India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the context of Article 370.
“Since 1950, it was on our agenda to remove Art 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Today, the way Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing development and decrease in terrorism shows that changes that are coming,” he said.
Shah said those slamming the BJP should answer in whose tenure terrorism grew in Jammu and Kashmir.
“As far as elections are concerned, do they not remember the local body polls, these were held under our rule, these did not take place for 70 years. Three families were holding sway in Jammu and Kashmir and they are making noise…Farooq Abdullah had gone to England. In whose tenure, terrorism grew, who allowed it to grow, there should be an answer,” he said.
