Chairman says terror contained, killings stopped
*Historic development in J&K after Art 370 abrogation
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU May 11: The Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) on Home Affairs today reviewed disaster preparedness at holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji where tragedy struck last August killing nearly 30 pilgrims at Adh-Kunwari while prior to that 12 pilgrims were killed and 15 others were injured in stampede at the Bhawan on January 1, 2022.
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The PSC on Home Chairman Radha Mohan Das Aggrawal, in a brief chat with media persons at Katra, the base camp of the shrine, said following abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, a revolutionary change has been witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir with terrorism contained and innocent killings stopped.
“After Article 370 was scrapped, lives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir have changed. A revolutionary change has taken place in the UT. Terrorism has been checked and killings of the innocent people have stopped. Youth have been focusing on education. Women are moving freely,” Aggarwal said.
Asserting that historic development has taken place in Jammu and Kashmir, the PSC on Home Affairs chairperson said earlier the funds used to go into the pockets of politicians and terrorists but they are now being used for welfare and development of the Union Territory.
“We heard about a change in Jammu and Kashmir. Today, we have witnessed it closely,” he said.
Responding to a question on change of Government in West Bengal, Aggarwal charged previous Mamata Government with resorting to “political terrorism” saying that dispensation never trusted democracy, policies and values.
“In her bid to appease (the minorities), the former Government had crossed all limits and virtually became `anti-Hindu’. The Hindus in their own country were being treated as second-class citizens in West Bengal,” he said, adding that BJP victory in Bengal is message to all politicians that “appeasement and discrimination” will not be tolerated by the people.
To a question on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on fuel and gold; Aggarwal said Rahul always gives “childish and anti-national statements”.
“When one Prime Minister (a reference towards Lal Bahadur Shastri) called for fasting once a week due to shortage of food, the people had responded to the call. The people are with Prime Minister (Narendra Modi),” he asserted.
He took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying they were aligned with DMK for 25 years and have now dumped it to join TVK for the sake of power. “Earlier, the MPs used to defect but in this case, the entire Congress Party has defected,” he said.
Earlier, the PSC on Home Affairs reviewed disaster preparedness at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan and enroute with top officials of the Shrine Board, civil and police administration.
It may be mentioned here that in August 2025, nearly 30 pilgrims died of landslide at Adh-Kunwari after heavy rainfall while on January 1, 2022; 12 pilgrims were killed and 15 others were injured due to stampede at the Bhawan.
After the review, the Committee left for Srinagar.
As per tour schedule of the PSC on Home, the Committee will meet representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs and administration of the UT in Srinagar to discuss administration, development and people’s welfare on May 12.
It will have a tour of Gulmarg on May 13 to assess security situation at tourist places. The PSC members will have an interaction with representatives of the Jammu and Kashmir Police at Sonmarg on May 14. The Committee will reach Kargil on May 15 and assess border security establishments and have an interaction with representatives of the Indian Army.
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