Jamtara (Jharkhand): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed Pakistan its place by abrogating Article 370 and 35A and established that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.
Shah also said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should tell people of Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana, when he goes there, whether he was with the decision to abrogate Article 370.
Assembly elections are due in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana this year.
Addressing a public meeting after launching the BJP’s ‘Johar Jan Ashirwad Yatra’, the BJP president said his party stood in favour of removing Article 370 ever since it had been there, and asked why the Congress felt a “stomach ache” following its annulment.
Located in santhal paragana near Dumka, Jamtara is more than 250 km from the capital Ranchi.
Johar is a tribal salutation.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Union Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda and Bihar minister Nand Kishore Yadav, who is BJP’s in-charge of Jharkhand, were present on the occasion.
“Removing Article 370, Modi ji showed Pakistan its place, and established that Kashmir is an integral part of India,” Shah said.
“Our stand has been to remove Article 370 ever since it had been there,” Shah said and asked “why the Congress felt a ‘stomach ache’ following its abrogation?”.
Making a scathing attack at the Congress, he said the party had also opposed and sought evidence after surgical strike. “They (Congress) should tell the people which direction they want to go,” he added.
Shah said even while being in the opposition, his party leaders had supported the government on important issues. (PTI)
“Atal Bihari Vajpayee had supported former prime minister Indira Gandhi after winning the Bangladesh Liberation war.
“Atal ji also put Indias side at the United Nations on Kashmir issue when former prime minister P V Narasimha asked him to go and put Indias side,” Shah said.
With assembly election in Jharkhand expected shortly, the BJP president sought to know what the Congress-led UPA government had given to the state in terms of developmental initiatives.
The BJP president said that the Congress had not accepted Jharkhand peoples decades-old wishes for a separate state, but it was for prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had fulfilled their dreams.
“I dont hesitate to say that Atal ji created Jharkhand and Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji nursed it towards development during the last five years,” Shah said.
Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar and made a separate state in 2000 by the then NDA government of A B Vajpayee. (PTI)