Section 254 C under review, BJP always supported displaced persons: Dr Jitendra
Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, Apr 15: Issuing a stern warning to country’s detractors within and outside, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India has the world’s best military might and it has power to strike at its enemy from its own soil and also in the enemy’s territory across Line of Control (LoC).
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Making a mention of surgical strike on terrorist camps across LoC, the Defence Minister who was addressing a mammoth public rally at Basohli near here seeking vote for the BJP candidate from Kathua-Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, Dr Jitendra Singh, said that India has capacity and power to strike at its enemy from its own soil and also in the enemy’s territory across LoC.
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Rajnath Singh said under the leadership of Modi, India is touching new heights and it is emerging as world’s third largest economy.
“India has emerged as the strongest country globally on all fronts under the leadership of Modi,”.
Highlighting the public welfare schemes launched by Modi Government, he said no earlier Government took pains in supplying pure drinking water to every household in the country which was done by PM Modi. While taking a dig at earlier Congress Governments, he said they gave slogans of removing poverty but did not work in this regard. While during the last 10 years of Modi rule 25 crore people in the country were brought above the poverty line which is a great achievement, he added.
Singh also said in the Sankalp Patra (Sankalp Patra) of BJP, PM Modi has ensured the inclusion of free treatment to people above 70 years of age no matter to which income group they belong to.
He urged the people to vote in large numbers in favour of Dr Jitendra Singh stating that BJP is committed to safeguard the rights of women. He added that BJP will win all seats in Jammu and Kashmir in Lok Sabha election.
He said that all promises made by the party right from days of Jana Sangh have been fulfilled and the daughters of Jammu were given rights on their parental property after marrying outside the J&K. This was a great anomaly and injustice with them which was removed by BJP Government at Centre, he added.
The Defence Minister taking a jibe at the National Conference, PDP and Congress, said that these political parties misused Article 370 for their own political benefits.
“Mehbooba said nobody would pick up Tiranga in J&K if Article 370 would be abolished, but the National Flag is flying high in every house and Government buildings”, he stated.
“I want to tell you, Mehbooba Mufti, today the Tricolour is being unfurled on all parts of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Referring to another remark that there would be a bloodbath on the roads of Kashmir, he pointed out that streams of milk and water are flowing in Jammu and Kashmir, showing the significant development and progress made since the abrogation of the Article 370 in August 2019.
Singh said the “Ram Rajya” has started taking roots in the country and nobody can stop it in becoming a reality.
He highlighted the fulfillment of all promises made by the BJP like abrogation of Article 370, construction of the Ram temple and implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
He said the BJP is not doing politics for formation of the Government but for the welfare of the country which was pulled out from a big trouble caused by the trust deficit between the people and politicians due to misdeeds of earlier Congress Governments.
Singh assured people that nobody who is an Indian national is going to lose his citizenship after the implementation of the CAA, while the BJP will keep its promise to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as promised in the party manifesto in the next five years.
He also referred to the banning of Triple Talaq and said “Whether we form the Government or not, attack on the dignity and honour of the women is not acceptable to us”.
“I have a feeling that the establishment of Ram Rajya has started in the country and nobody can stop it from becoming a reality. Ram Rajya means that the people have realisation and awareness towards their duties.,” he said.
The senior BJP leader said a situation where people are realising their duties is taking shape in the country.
“When those sitting in the Government do their duties responsibly, it will slowly create awareness among people as well. We are not doing politics to form the Government but for the country’ betterment,” he said.
Expressing confidence about Dr Jitendra Singh winning from the constituency for the third term with a huge margin, the Defence Minister appealed to the people to pick up the party’s past manifestoes, since its origin from the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, and see to it that “we have fulfilled all our promises”. Lavishing praises on Dr Jitendra Singh, the Defence Minister said he (Dr Jitendra) is a capable Minister who is speaking with capacity and capability on any matter.
“We finished Article 370 (that provided special status to J&K) to bring it at par with other parts of the country. Opposition parties were talking about construction of the Ram temple since 1984 but it was done by us and our Prime Minister performed its ‘Pran Pratishtha’ on January 22,” Singh said.
“We implemented the CAA but there are people who are trying to create misgivings but I want to clarify that no Indian citizen is going to lose his citizenship,” he added.
Singh further said, “We have promised implementation of the UCC in the next five years and I wonder why it should not be done.”
“A big trouble has been created in free India due to trust deficit caused by the politicians who used to say something and do something else. This trust deficit between people and politicians was finished by the BJP These politicians exploited and deceived the people as they never translated their words into actions,” he added.
Referring to the Triple Talaq, Singh said some people are saying why are you interfering in the religious affairs of others.
“I want to make it clear to them that any woman irrespective of her faith is our mother, sister and daughter. The attack on the dignity and honour of women will not be tolerated. Whether we form a Government or not, how can we accept such a thing which will throw her out of her home,” he said.
As far as the Narendra Modi Government is concerned, Singh said not only India but the world acknowledges that India is moving ahead to become the third largest economy in the world and its image has also enhanced so much that the world listens carefully to what “We are saying unlike in the past when nobody was taking us seriously”.
He said the BJP is doing what it is saying and it was not the case with Congress which ruled the nation for so many decades but failed to make the country a powerful nation which it should have done three decades ago.
“Modi has returned things with interest to Jammu and Kashmir. J&K is moving rapidly on the path of development and progress,” he added.
Pointing towards Congress leader Rahul Gandhi playing with his sister Priyanka in the snow at Gulmarg in Kashmir early last year, Singh attributed it to the peace prevailing in the region after the abrogation of Article 370.
Addressing the rally, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that Section 254 C pertaining to land viz-a-viz displaced persons from Pak occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) is already under Government review and Congress party and its allies, with nothing to claim to their credit, are desperately trying to make an issue out of non-issue and confuse the masses on the eve of election.
Besides this rally and later addressing a series of public meetings at different locations including Govindsar, Basantpur etc., Dr Jitendra Singh said, there should be absolutely no apprehension or misgiving in this regard, particularly when Government has been reiterating in the past also that this section is under review. Citing evidence, he said, it was only about six months back, the delegation of PoJK persons met the then Chief Secretary J&K, Arun Kumar Mehta who is on record having stated and a report was published in all the newspapers quoting Chief Secretary Mehta that the concerns expressed by the PoJK displaced persons were under consideration and the doubts regarding Section 254(C) will be cleared after the matter is reviewed.
He said, most of the PoJK representatives and leaders meeting the Government officials from time to time have been candidly conveyed this and this is also the stand of the Central Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Ministry headed by Amit Shah and yet, certain elements are trying to create confusion but their mischievous design will not succeed.
Dr. Jitendra Singh recalled that it was after 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi that a Rs. 150 crore bridge was constructed at Keerian-Gandyal just to cater to about two thousand population out of which around one thousand are PoJK displaced persons. The question is why the earlier Governments headed by Congress did not address this demand, possibly because they did not find much of a vote bank stake here. But under the Modi Government, we decided to fulfill the lapses of the past and meet every genuine demand of every section of society including the PoJK displaced persons regardless of vote bank consideration, he said.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, it hardly needs to be stated or proved because in the last 10 years, the Government headed by Prime Minister Modi has walked extra mile to support all the genuine demands of each section of displaced persons, be it the West Pakistan Refugees or PoJK displaced persons or the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community. He said, on the other hand the question is to be answered by the Congress and its allies who ruled over Jammu & Kashmir and at the Centre for more than a half of century but deliberately ignored all these sections of displaced communities because they did not find their vote bank among them.
Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that it was the Government headed by Prime Minister Modi, which gave the citizenship rights to refugees from Pakistan nearly 70 years after they had settled in Jammu & Kashmir. Even though in today’s time, citizens moving to other countries also get their citizenship rights after a certain number of years and one of the citizens from India has already become Prime Minister of UK. Not only this, he said, even from among the West Pakistan refugees, India got two Prime Ministers namely Inder Kumar Gujral and Dr. Manmohan Singh but ironically if these two great men had chosen to settle in Jammu & Kashmir, they too might have been subject to same hardship as their counterpart here and it was only Prime Minister Modi who gave them equal rights, equal platforms and equal opportunities as any other citizens of India.
Similarly, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, as far as the displaced persons from PoJK are concerned, it is for the first time that the Modi Government decided upon a plan to provide them compensation and financial aid whereas the earlier Governments continuously ignored them despite their repeated requests. He said, not only the displaced PoJK persons living in Jammu & Kashmir but those living outside J&K are also getting their demands and requirements addressed because of a very sensitive and liberal approach adopted by the Government under the instructions of Prime Minister Modi.
Even for Kashmiri Pandits, said Dr. Jitendra Singh, during 1990s, when BJP was not in power at the Centre, all kind of assistance including reservation was sought to be provided in some of those States where BJP was in power or shared power and after the Modi Government came in 2014, not only the employment packages for them was included but provisions were also made for their safe living in the Valley while taking up job there.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, what has happened in the last 10 years did not happen in the earlier 60 years, whether in the form of the enormous development that has taken place or the redressal of the long standing grievances.
Allying all fears, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it is only the Modi Government under whom every section of society is safe regardless of caste, creed and religion or background and justice is being provided to all. He said the Congress Party in its campaign is making promises to do what it could not do during 60 years, when it had the free hand to do everything. He said, if they could not do it in 60 years, how could one trust them to do it again particularly when everyone knows that they are not going to come to power either at the Centre or in Jammu & Kashmir.
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