BJP’s struggle for total integration had begun from Kathua: Dr Jitendra
Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, Apr 10: Terming the annulling of controversial Article 370 that had granted special status to J&K -a great achievement of Narendra Modi led BJP Government at Centre, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath today asserted that BJP Government’s decision has helped in eradication of the breeding ground for terrorism from the Valley.
Addressing an election rally here today seeking vote for BJP candidate from Kathua- Udhampur Parliamentary constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh, Yogi Adityanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for abrogation of the Article and emphasised the palpable enthusiasm from Red Fort to Lal Chowk, celebrating the integration of Jammu and Kashmir into India’s fabric.
He said Article 370 was a great impediment in the development of J&K but no Government in last over 60 years tried to do away with this Constitutional anomaly and credit goes to Narendra Modi Government which freed people of J&K from its clutches.
He said Jammu is the land of freedom fighters and great warriors, while paying tribute to Gen Zorawar Singh. He said with annulling of Article 370 J&K is fast moving on path of development and progress. The new Medical Colleges, Engineering Colleges, roads and projects have been constructed in the UT while every household has been provided clean drinking water and every village electrified, he added.
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He pointed towards the strong security setup along the country’s borders.
“Can any Pakistani dare to infiltrate from across the border and compromise our security? They cannot. If a single cracker gets burst (along the border), Pakistan immediately resorts to clarification that they are not involved in it. They know that they have to face music if any such thing happens,” the UP Chief Minister said while addressing a rally in support of BJP candidate and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.
“India is moving forward on the path of development and progress. This country with 140 crore people has respect and dignity. People of India are getting respect throughout the world now,” he added.
Jammu and Kashmir has now joined the mainstream of development in India, Yogi said while referring to various development projects in different sectors being undertaken in the Union Territory.
Lambasting the previous Congress Government for inaction to deal with the problems in Jammu and Kashmir effectively, he said, “Jammu and Kashmir was left unclaimed. It was left to the mercy of God… We are not surprised over the behaviour of Congress as they have taken India to be their private property. They used to run away whenever there was any crisis in the country. Who has not seen the massacre of Doda?”
Adityanath said everyone in the country wants to see Jammu and Kashmir with pride as the crown of India.
“Where Shyama Prasad Mukerjee was martyred, Kashmir is ours. These were the slogans given then. Mukerjee laid down his life for this dream. No Government could take a decision on it for 70 long years,” he said.
Campaigning for Dr Jitendra Singh, Adityanath pointed out that the Union Minister used to bat strongly in the Parliament for Article 370 abrogation in a bid to ensure development of the region.
He underscored India’s self-reliance compared to Pakistan’s dependence on international aid, emphasising India’s growing global stature and reinforced border security measures.
“While India is providing free ration to 80 crore people today, Pakistan, since its separation from India in 1947, has been moving around with a begging bowl,” he said.
He said India got credit of discovering Covid vaccine and credit goes to PM Modi and Dr Jitendra Singh who headed the Ministry of Science & Technology.
Yogi Adityanath said the previous Governments in Uttar Pradesh gave patronage to those who created anarchy while there have been no riots or curfews during his seven-year tenure in the State now.
Adityanath urged the people to vote for the saffron party, while giving full credit to Dr Jitendra Singh for advancing the region’s development.
He also described Prime Minister, Narendra Modi as a modern-day architect of India’s progress and attributed the nation’s achievements to his leadership.
“There was anarchy in Uttar Pradesh under the patronage of previous governments and curfews and riots a regular affair. During my tenure of seven years as Chief Minister of UP, there were no riots or curfews,” Adityanath said.
Now, the annual ‘Kavad Yatra’ takes place in a free atmosphere and “UP is the country’s first State where loudspeakers have been removed from religious sites”, the Chief Minister said, adding people want peace and development.
Adityanath said Ayodhya, Mathura and Vrindavan are models of how faith needs to be respected and asked people to especially visit Ayodhya — where a grand Ram Temple was inaugurated by Modi on January 22.
He said there was a “sense of security” among the people of Uttar Pradesh and if anyone does any mischief, the person is immediately taken to task.
Adityanath highlighted the changes that have taken place in the State ever since the BJP-led Government came to power and said earlier, Hindus hesitated to embrace their beliefs and heritage but that has changed.
“People used to hesitate to call themselves Hindus. They were afraid to take the name of Ayodhya. When I became the Chief Minister in 2017, people questioned my visit to Ayodhya. I was told that some sections might get angry but we held festivals there,” he said.
Adityanath highlighted the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, contrasting the proactive approach of his Government with what he described as the Congress’ dismissive stance towards Hinduism.
“If a good Government is formed, it ends the long wait of 500 years. Today, a big Ram Mandir has been constructed in Ayodhya. Could the Congress have done it? The Congress used to say there is no Ram, no Krishna. Those who were accidental Hindus used to question the existence of Ram and Krishna. It was the biggest insult to our faith. How they tried to insult our faith by negating our deities,” he said.
The UP CM credited the Modi Government for “bolstering” national security and propelling India to new heights of development, leading to its emergence as the world’s fifth-largest economy.
“We have ensured the security of this country and taken it to new heights of development. The entire country knows about the development work taking place. India has surpassed Britain, who occupied us for years, to become the fifth biggest economy in the world,” he said.
However, he also cautioned people against falling for “divisive tactics” and urged them to prioritise the nation’s future over caste, creed or region.
“It is important to vote in support of Dr Jitendra Singh who is contesting for the third time. Based on the development done during the last 10 years, Modi ji has sought the people’s mandate again to make India the third largest economy in the world.
“The credit for the development of India goes to Modi Ji. He is the modern-day architect of India,” he said.
He also expressed gratitude towards the people of the country for choosing the BJP.
“Ram Mandir has been built in Ayodhya, India has become a big economy, there is a sense of security among the people, development projects are taking place, while schemes for the poor and marginalized have been launched.
“The credit goes to you also because you gave him (Modi) your vote and the command of this country,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome address at the mammoth rally, Union Minister and BJP candidate for Udhampur-Doda-Kathua Lok Sabha constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh, said that neglected by Congress for several decades, the entire development in Udhampur, Kathua, Doda constituency had happened only in the last 10 years after Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister.
Kathua was fortunate to have been developed by Modi and blessed by Yogi, he added.
Welcoming Yogi Adityanath to Kathua, Dr Jitendra Singh said, he is personally indebted because he knows that UP Chief Minister is terribly hard pressed for time as a large number of Lok Sabha seats in UP itself are going to poll in first phase, but on his single phone call, Yogi accepted his invitation to come to Kathua. He said, even today Yogi has travelled from Ghaziabad leaving his campaign halfway to be with us just for about 45 minutes before he goes back to Meerut.
Dr Jitendra Singh said Kathua is a historic city and its history is intermingled with the history of Bharatiya Jan Sangh, Bharatiya Janata Party and independent India. He said the BJP’s struggle for total integration of J&K has started from Kathua itself. He recalled that it was here that the founder of Bharatiya Jan Sangh and the then MP Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had courted arrest while demanding full integration of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of India. The sacrifice made by Mukherjee not only created a vibrant current of nationalism across the country but also went on to add energy to the movement for the integration of Jammu & Kashmir by the then Bharatiya Jan Sangh and carried forward by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that because this area was supposed to be a stronghold of Bharatiya Jan Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party, hence the Congress and its allies, following a policy of appeasement, did not attend to this region and deprived it of several national level projects which were meant for this region.
It was only after 2014, said Dr Jitendra Singh, that after Prime Minister, Modi came in, the lapses of the past were sought to be corrected. For example, he said, during the last 10 years Kathua has emerged among the country’s most developed Lok Sabha constituencies. It is possibly the only constituency which has three Medical Colleges, highest railway bridge in the world, longest road tunnel of Asia, first River rejuvenation of North India namely Rive Devika cleaning project, first Homoeopathy College of North India, first Biotech Park of North India, several national highways and several national hydro projects besides getting two Vande Bharat trains and numerous other benefits,
Dr Jitendra Singh added that this has been possible only and only because of the blessings of Prime Minister Modi and with Yogi Adityanath’s visit to Kathua today, we now have double blessings of both “Modi Yogi”.He said, the people of this region hold Modi and Yogi in great awe and they cite the example in the manner in which Yogi has changed the entire scenario in Uttar Pradesh particularly with respect to ensuring the security of women folk.
Dr Jitendra Singh noted that while Modi gave preference to the building of toilets for women and has so far built more than 11 crore toilets across the country, Yogi gave these toilets the name of “Izzat Ghar”, thereby according due respect to the women. He said, this is the reason that the Nari Shakti of India has huge enthusiasm in Modi and Yogi, and is always eager to have a glimpse of Yogi and also listen to the words of wisdom and faith from him.
BJP UT president Ravinder Raina, also addressed the rally and appealed people to vote for his party candidate to further intensify development process in the UT. former Deputy CM, Dr Nirmal Singh, BJP general secretary (Org), Ashok Koul and former Minister, Rajiv Jasrotia were among other BJP leaders who attended the rally.
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