Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2024: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday strongly criticised National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah for his remarks on the execution of Afzal Guru, the 2001 Parliament attack convict. Singh questioned Abdullah, saying, "Should Afzal Guru not have been hanged? Should he have been publicly garlanded instead?"
Addressing an election rally in Ramban in support of BJP candidate Rakesh Singh Thakur, the Defence Minister said, "I heard that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah sahab said that Afzal Guru should not have been hanged. I want to ask him that Afzal Guru should not have been hanged, should he have been garlanded publicly?"
PoK residents should join India: Rajnath Singh
Singh urged residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to join India, emphasising that, unlike Pakistan, India considers them its own. "Support the BJP to form the next government in J-K so that we can facilitate massive development in the region. There will be so much development that the people in PoK on seeing this should say that we do not want to live with Pakistan and instead will go to India," the defence minister said.
He said that recently an affidavit was filed by the additional solicitor general in the neighboring country stating that PoK is a foreign land. "I want to tell PoK residents that Pakistan is considering you foreigner but the people in India do no consider you as such. We consider you as our own and so come and join us," he said.
Rajnath Singh on Article 370
The Union Minister slammed the National Conference-Congress alliance for their election promise to restore Article 370, asserting that it would be impossible as long as the BJP remains in power. "National Conference with which the Congress party has formed an alliance has said in its election manifesto that they will restore Article 370. No one has the courage to restore Article 370. Jammu and Kashmir which was earlier known as a terrorism spot has now become a tourism hotspot. Earlier, many youths in the Kashmir Valley used to have pistols and revolvers in their hands," said Singh.
He praised the "sea change" in Jammu and Kashmir's security situation following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, noting that the region's youth now carry laptops and computers instead of pistols and revolvers. "Go and see the change today, they do not have pistols and revolvers in their hands, instead you will see laptops and computers. This is a huge change. There has not been a single incident of stone-pelting after 2022. As long as the Bharatiya Janata Party remains in India, no one can restore Article 370," he added.
In the Ramban constituency, BJP's candidate Thakur is competing against the National Conference's Arjun Singh Raju and rebel BJP candidate Suraj Singh Parihar. In the previous election, the seat was won by BJP's Neelam Kumar Langeh, who was denied a ticket this time.
Singh is also scheduled to visit the neighbouring Banihal constituency to campaign for BJP candidate Mohd Saleem Bhat, who is facing former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president and ex-minister Vikar Rasool Wani. Wani is aiming for a third consecutive win from Banihal and faces tough competition from the National Conference's Sajjad Shaheen and PDP's Imtiyaz Shan. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi supported Wani with a large rally in Sangaldan on September 4.
(With agencies input)
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