Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda on Sunday criticised the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance for their stance on Article 370 and questioned whether they ‘Pakistan’s agents.’
Nadda’s remarks follow Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khwaja Asif’s statement that Pakistan and the NC-Congress alliance were on the same page on the restoration of Article 370.
Nadda also urged people to vote, saying that the assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir is crucial for the stability and strengthening of the region and the country.
At an event in Jammu, ahead of the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, Nadda said, “In Kashmir’s first phase of voting, there was 60 per cent voter turnout… unlike earlier when polling was only 8 per cent and the army had to conduct it. Pakistan’s Defence Minister says Congress-NC’s stance aligns with theirs. Does that mean you’re Pakistan’s agent? This election is about Jammu and Kashmir’s stability and strengthening the country.”
Nadda further criticised the Congress-NC party, stating that while the BJP is talking about development, the NC-Congress is saying they’ll start negotiations with Pakistan.
“On one hand, we (BJP) are talking about development, while on the other hand, the NC-Congress is saying they’ll start negotiations with Pakistan… Today, no declared terrorist can survive on Jammu and Kashmir’s soil for more than a week. The moment they’re declared terrorists, they’re eliminated within a week,” he said.
He also said that under PM Modi’s leadership, India has surged ahead of Pakistan, and now India is no longer mentioned alongside Pakistan.
“When we talk about international politics and language, no one mentions India alongside Pakistan anymore. India is India, and Pakistan is left behind where it was earlier. Earlier, when Manmohan Singh used to travel to the US, he used to talk about terrorism and Pakistan. Today, when Modi ji travels to the US and other countries, he talks about trade, technical know-how, semiconductors and the space sector,” Nadda said.
Later, Nadda also held a roadshow in Jammu as the last two phases of voting in Assembly elections remain.
The first phase of voting was completed in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 with a voter turnout of 61.13 per cent registered across 24 constituencies in seven districts, as per the Election Commission.
The second and third phases will be held on September 25 and October 5, respectively. Vote counting will be conducted on October 8 along with the counting of votes in Haryana.
Campaigning for BJP candidate Sham Lal Sharma in Jammu North, Nadda criticized the Congress, NC, and PDP, accusing them of widespread corruption and stalling progress in the region. “The Abdullah, Mufti, and Gandhi families have wreaked havoc in Jammu and Kashmir. They were responsible for corruption and the state’s deterioration,” he said.
Nadda also attacked these parties for pushing for the resumption of cross-LoC trade, claiming that this trade facilitated terrorism in the past. “They want to bring back the days of the 1990s when terror was rampant under the guise of trade,” Nadda added.
He emphasized that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Jammu and Kashmir has seen a decline in terrorist activities. “The lifespan of a terrorist is just a few days under Modi’s government,” he remarked, underscoring the BJP’s commitment to peace, progress, and development in the Union Territory.
Nadda also highlighted the significant change in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370, celebrating the fact that Assembly elections are being held under the principle of “One Nation, One Constitution, One Prime Minister” for the first time.