Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday took a jibe at Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi, saying that even their seven generations cannot bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a poll rally in Jammu, Chouhan said, “Today I want to say that ‘Farooq Abdullah aur Rahul Gandhi ki saat pidhiyan (generations) bhi Article 370 nahi la sakti’…BJP government is there…”
He accused the Congress-National Conference (NC) party of diverting people’s attention from real issues such as employment, food, education, health, and development.
“We say what we do. Our goal is to change the fate of the people, to bring happiness into your lives, to bring smiles to your faces, and for you to live your life in peace. But what are they saying? They are saying that if our government comes to power, we will abolish Article 370. Rahul Baba, even the NC leaders cannot abolish Article 370. Is this the issue, brothers and sisters? Our issue is employment, food, education, health and development. They are leading us in the wrong direction.”
Earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday reiterated that the opposition will use its full force to pressurise Centre to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
Addressing a public rally in Sopore, the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition said that for the first time in history, a state was downgraded into a ‘union territory’ and injustice was served to the people of the territory and the INDIA bloc will fight for its restoration.
“We wanted that the statehood be restored before elections. All the people of Jammu and Kashmir wanted the elections to take place after the restoration of the statehood. The first and foremost issue is regarding your statehood. Several UTs have been made states, and states have been bifurcated. But this is the first time in history that a state has been turned into a Union Territory. It did not happen, the first step is election. But after this, the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir has to be restored,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Assembly polls are being held in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases. Voting for the second phase is currently underway on Wednesday, with 26 constituencies across six districts of the Union Territory.
The first phase, held on September 18, recorded a voter turnout of 61.13 per cent across 24 constituencies in seven districts, according to the Election Commission.
Voting for the third phase will take place on October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 8, alongside the counting of votes in Haryana. (ANI)
