Congress-NC brought destruction to J&K: Anurag Thakur

Jammu, Sep 09: Former Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anurag Thakur Monday stated that Congress and National Conference (NC) brought only destruction to J&K during their rule and they would revive terrorism and separatism yet again if elected to power.

However, BJP wiped out the reign of terror from J&K to restore peace and provide succour to people, he said, while addressing a press conference here.

BJP National Spokesperson, R P Singh, incharge of BJP Media War Room, Arun Gupta, BJP Chief Spokesperson, Sunil Sethi, Tahir Chowdhary, BJP spokesperson and Pardeep Mahotra, Media Incharge accompanied Thakur in the presser.

Earlier Thakur accompanied party candidates Sham Lal Sharma and Arvind Gupta, who filed nominations on Monday.

In a scathing attack on Congress and its alliance partner NC, Thakur, while responding to media queries, said that their leadership was talking about the repeal of the Public Safety Act, release of terrorists, stone-pelters, narcotic smugglers etc.

“They are defending those who attacked the Indian Parliament. I want to ask Farooq Abdullah what their ideology is. I’ll suggest Abdullahs - Change your ideology as India has changed. I want to know what is their compulsion that they have to plead the cause of Pakistan by advocating dialogue with it or that of separatists and terrorists. This will not work now. We (BJP) will not let it happen. BJP is committed to bringing peace, progress and prosperity in J&K which they cannot,” Thakur said. He asserted that the language of intimidation being used by NC leadership too was undemocratic and unacceptable. “What kind of language it is - Hinduon ko Daraayengay, Qatl Karengay...this is nauseating and unacceptable,” he said.

Thakur reiterated that the people of Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK), facing atrocities in Pakistan, too wanted to be part of India. “They are our people. One day they will become part of India,” he said.

“In J&K, only BJP can establish peace and ensure development while the NC-Congress alliance can only bring destruction and miseries for the people here. In J&K BJP means ‘Rahat’ (succour) and NC-Congress means ‘Aafat’ (trouble) for the people,” Thakur said.

“BJP is a guarantee to peace, prosperity and development in J&K. However, whenever NC and Congress have come together they have brought destruction and miseries for the people of J&K. More than 45,000 people have lost their lives in Jammu and Kashmir due to them,” he said.

“The country suffered a lot for 70 years due to blunders committed by Nehru,” he said while adding, “BJP government led Prime Minister Narendra Modi abrogated Article 370 brought peace and development in J&K.”

The NC-Congress, he said, “are talking of bringing back Article 370 but I must tell them that Article 370 is history and will never come back. They want to push J&K again towards terrorism and revive separatism. People of J&K will teach them a lesson in these elections as they want unrest here.”

“NC-Congress, bereft of relevant issues, are deviating people’s attention by raising non-issues,” he said, adding, “Rahul Gandhi must make his stand clear about raising the issue of the hanging of Afzal Guru, who attacked Parliament.”

He stated that the BJP government invested Rs 25,000 Cr for all round development of J&K.

“Now we have AIIMs, IIM, IIT, Nursing Colleges and a large network of roads here. NC and Congress are playing divisive politics. They want to rename our revered Shankaracharya as Takht-e-Suleman and Hari Parbat as Kohe Maran, which shows that they are trying to divide people and spread hatred,” Thakur said.

“There is a 70 percent decline in terror-related activities due to policies of Prime Minister Modi,” he said, adding, “We freed J&K from the clutches of terrorism by abrogating Article 370.” He said that a record number of tourists had been visiting J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 as the BJP focussed on development.

“The 25-point ‘Sankalp Patra’ of the BJP is people friendly and also presents a future roadmap for the development of J&K, while other parties have nothing to offer to the people of J&K,” he said.