Modi-led govt awaiting assembly polls to restore statehood to J-K: Union minister Jitendra Singh

Jammu, Sept 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is waiting for assembly elections to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.

He accused the Congress and the National Conference (NC) of trying to take credit for something that has already been assured to the people by the BJP leadership.

The minister challenged the Congress leadership to declare that they will restore Article 370 of the Constitution and said "they will not do this because they know they will be beaten up across the country".

Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's office, said the Congress and the NC are talking about restoration of statehood to J&K in their manifesto for assembly polls despite knowing the fact that the prime minister and Home Minister Amit Shah have already assured the people about its restoration after the assembly elections.

"They are manufacturing a fake narrative to claim credit when the statehood will be restored by saying that they have pressured the government," he told reporters on the sidelines of an election meeting in support of party candidate and former MLA Baldev Raj Sharma, who is fighting from newly created Mata Vaishno Devi assembly segment in Reasi district.

The minister said this is old wisdom to demand something which is bound to happen and then claim credit for it.

"When Modi has himself assured that the statehood will be restored in rallies in Doda and Srinagar in the past six months and home minister is also on record having told Parliament repeatedly, there is no need for something which has already been promised," he said.

"Modi has already given statehood to J&K and the government is waiting for assembly elections to end to make the announcement," he said.

Claiming that the Congress is doing double talk on Article 370 which was abrogated by BJP-led government in August 2019, he said the opposition party had entered into a pre-poll alliance with NC but avoided answering questions on abrogated constitutional provision to hoodwink the people.

"While in Srinagar they talk in a way that looks like they support NC's demand for restoration of Article 370, in Jammu they pretend to be against its restoration...

"I challenge the Congress leaders to say only once that they will bring back Article 370. They will never say it knowing that they will get beaten up across the country," Singh said.

Thanking Prime Minister for carving out Mata Vaishno Devi assembly segment through delimitation exercise, he said it was the dream and matter of faith for the people to have a constituency in the name of deity, which was fulfilled by Modi.

"The Congress was in power at the Centre for decades together and also enjoyed power in J&K with the NC but it never heard the demand of the public who were deliberately discriminated against because of the divisive politics of the past to please a particular section," he said, adding "the past public representatives also kept mum to keep their masters happy and save their ministerial births".

However, he said, a new chapter started in Reasi after Modi took over as the prime minister in 2014.

"He (Modi) started his election campaign in 2014 by offering prayers at Vaishno Devi shrine and after his election, he inaugurated the new railway station (at Katra) and gave the district (Reasi) the highest railway bridge over Chenab.

"The NC and the Congress not only compromised with the rights of the people but also hurt their faith for vested political interests," Singh said.

He exuded confidence about the BJP winning the assembly polls with majority to form the next government in the Union Territory.