Udhampur, Apr 3:
BJP chief Amit Shah Wednesday lambasted Congress leaders over the party’s promise of reviewing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and withdrawing the anti-sedition law, saying they should “drown” themselves in a pool of water, as he pledged his party’s support to the forces and sanctity of the AFSPA.
Addressing a rally in Udhampur, the BJP chief also slammed former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti for advocating a separate prime minister for the state and threatening secession of J&K from India. Shah hit the campaign trail in J&K in support of party candidates — Union Minister Jitendra Singh and sitting MP Jugal Kishore — addressing rallies at Udhampur and Sunderbani in Rajouri districts. Earlier in the day, he also addressed a gathering in Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, where all five constituencies will go to polls in a single phase on April 11. “Congress and its leaders should be ashamed of it (announcing dilution of AFSPA and removing sedition act). Go drown yourself in a pool of water. They have said in manifesto they will dilute AFSPA. They should be day-dreaming,” Shah said, alleging the Congress manifesto promotes the interest of terrorists and anti-India forces. “This is Narendra Modi government, nobody can dilute the AFSPA as we are standing like a rock behind the security forces, protecting (our) border,” Shah asserted. In its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls released Tuesday, the Congress promised that if voted to power it will review the AFSAP, which provides special powers to the force, in Jammu and Kashmir. It also proposed to omit Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code that defines the offence of ‘sedition’, saying it has been “misused” and become “redundant because of subsequent laws”. The BJP chief said the party brought down its government in J&K when the pressure came on it to dilute the AFSPA. “We kicked the chair. We left the government on the AFSPA. The Congress and its leaders should be ashamed of what they have announced.” He asked the people to decide whether they want the Congress that supports dilution of the AFSPA, or the BJP that wants its protection. On the anti-sedition law, Shah wondered who the Congress was trying to “protect”. “Who do you want to protect? When anti-India slogans like ‘bharat tere tukde honge’ (India will be disintegrated) were shouted in the JNU, you stood with them in the name of freedom of speech. Do you want to protect those booked under the anti-sedition law?” he questioned. Asserting that the BJP and its government have no tolerance to forces out to break the country, Shah said those raising slogans like ‘bharat tere tukde honge’ should not be allowed to go scot free. “Their place is in jails.” “It is a commitment of the BJP government that we will never allow the country to be disintegrated. Nobody will be allowed to disintegrate Jammu and Kashmir from India,” Shah said.
He also criticised Mehbooba Mufti for saying that the relation of J&K with India will end if the terms and conditions of the state’s accession to the Union were changed.
Hitting out at Omar Abdullah for his demand of a separate PM for the state, Shah asserted the BJP, whether in power or opposition, would not let this happen.
“Let Omar listen to it clearly with open ears. Whether the BJP is in power or in opposition, nobody will be allowed to snatch J&K from India. We will protect the state on our lives”, he added.
“You (Omar) will make PM and we will sit silently?”
The National Conference vice-president had Monday said his party would not allow any attacks on J&K’s special status and seek restoration of terms of accession of the state, including the provision for ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ (president) and prime minister posts.
Shah castigated Omar, Mehbooba and Rahul Gandhi, saying their “dreams” will never get fulfilled till the BJP is there.
Warning Pakistan, he said if one bullet comes from there “we will send shells from here. We will give a befitting reply”.
Describing the BJP as a party that follows the ideals of Syama Prasada Mukherjee who made the supreme sacrifice in Kashmir, Shah said it will not let anything of the sort happen “till its last breath”.
Taking a dig over the Congress, NC and PDP, Shah claimed “sadness had gripped” these parties and Pakistan after air strikes at Balakot.
“A surgical strike was not possible as Pakistan had deployed tanks along the borders. The Narendra Modi government carried out air strike and demolished the terror targets inside Pakistan,” he added.
“At a time when the entire country celebrated the counter terror offensive, there was grief in Pakistan and in the offices of Congress, NC, and PDP,” Shah claimed.
In the Uttarkashi rally, Shah asked Gandhi to clarify his stand on the comments of his electoral ally Abdullah.
“The Congress is having an electoral alliance with the party. I want to ask the Congress president to clarify to the nation whether or not he agrees with his ally’s demand.”
He stressed securing the country’s border was the biggest achievement of the Modi government.
“When the UPA was in power any Aliya, Maliya, Jamaliya (Tom, Dick or Harry) crossed over into our territory, beheaded our soldiers and went back. There was no retaliation from our side. There was neither the courage nor the will to do so,” he said.
“If you want a secure India, if you want the country to emerge as a global leader and one of the largest economies in the world you have to put the reins of power into Narendra Modi’s hands,” he said.
