Pledging to ensure that Articles 370 and 35A are never restored and remain part of history, BJP released its manifesto for Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, announcing 25 promises, including a slew of freebies, increase in ‘Kisan Samman Nidhi’ from Rs 6,000 per year to Rs 10,000 and restoration of over 100 ruined temples.
Releasing the manifesto, senior BJP leader and home minister Amit Shah asserted that Article 370 was buried forever and BJP won’t allow efforts aimed at its restoration while he mentioned the party’s promise to release a ‘white paper’ on over 40,000 killings in J&K and fix responsibility.
The assertion seemed aimed at cornering Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi over the manifesto of their alliance partner National Conference, which has promised restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, besides resuming talks with Pakistan.
“I want to ask Rahul Gandhi if he and his party want revival of terrorism, separatism in J&K?”
Shah said, “Does Rahul support restoration of two flags and Article 370? He won’t answer. But I want to state here that Rahul is very much in support of the NC manifesto.” On restoration of statehood to J&K, he said as home minister he had promised in Parliament that statehood would be granted to J&K at an appropriate time after assembly polls.
“Why demand something that has already been accepted,” Shah said, adding that it would be restored in due course after assembly polls. PM Narendra Modi, in an interview in May, had said restoring J&K’s statehood was a solemn promise and he stood by it. Responding to NC’s promise to restore Article 370, Shah said, “The agenda of NC cannot get implemented on the ground. Article 370 is the past. It is history. Nobody can bring it back.”
On the possibility of talks with Pakistan, Shah said talks and terror couldn’t go together. “We will talk to the youth of Kashmir, not Pakistan unless Pakistan stops terrorism,” he said. Replying to a query whether trade could be started with Pakistan, he said trade set the base for terrorism. “So, no question of trade with Pakistan till terrorism is there,” he said.
