JAMMU, Apr 16: Union Minister Anurag Thakur accused dynastic parties of hindering development in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that Prime Minister NarendraModi’s decision to abrogate Article 370 has propelled the region towards progress.
Addressing public gatherings in Parade Ground and Gulabgarh Stadium in Kishtwar in support of BJP candidate Dr.Jitendra Singh, Thakur criticized family-based parties for prioritizing their political interests over J&K’s development.
“PM Modi gave new wings to the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Article 370,” Thakur stated, emphasizing the region’s integration with India and its accelerated developmental trajectory. “After the removal of Article 370, J&K is moving forward by fully integrating with,” he said and added, “Last year, more than 2 crore 10 lakh tourists came to Jammu and Kashmir and in the coming years this figure will cross 3 crores”
Thakur dismissed allegations of BJP being anti-Muslim, clarifying that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) aims to provide citizenship, not revoke it. He refuted misconceptions about the Modi government’s stance on Muslims, highlighting the law’s humanitarian objectives. “I would like to tell Omar Abdullah that CAA is a law to give citizenship, not to take it. These include people who came to India before 2014 and had to face persecution on the basis of religion in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh,” he said
Regarding Article 370 and 35A, Thakur attributed their existence to Nehru and the Congress, asserting that their repeal corrected historical errors and facilitated democratic processes in Jammu and Kashmir. He highlighted significant reductions in terrorism-related incidents and casualties since the removal of Article 370, citing improved security conditions in the region.
PM Modi corrected their mistakes. We conducted Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he said. “Today there has been a 75% reduction in the incidents of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and stone pelting has stopped”, he said, added, “ civilian deaths have decreased by 81% and security personnel deaths have decreased by 50%.”.
