Rigged 1987 elections in J&K under Rajiv Gandhi responsible for terrorism: Rana

Jammu, Apr 1: Senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana today said the rigged elections to Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 1987 during the tenure of the Congress government under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi led to widespread disillusionment and eventually germination of terrorism.

“The Congress set a stage for Pakistan to take advantage of the situation post rigged elections to unleash terrorism that led to large scale destruction, mayhem and ethnic cleansing of the miniscule but peaceful minority community from their homes and hearths,” he said while addressing prominent members of Gujjar community of Tehsil Nagrota and Dansal here this evening along with DDC Chairman Bharat Bhushan and District President Jammu North Omi Khajuria and former MLC Haji Mohammad Hussain.

He said the guns would not have entered into the Valley had the elections not been rigged and the concerns of the then Governor Jagmohan heeded to by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. “It was because of the muteness of the Congress government at New Delhi that led to eruption of terrorism, followed by total surrender by the then Union government, which served as a booster for terrorists and separatists to call the shots. Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress Government played havoc with democratic ethos and brought Jammu and Kashmir to such a morass that thousands of people got killed and widespread destruction became the norm for nearly three decades,” the BJP leader said.

“But for the course correction by the BJP under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress with its lackeys in the political spectrum of Kashmir would have continued with their agenda of allowing political instability and disturbed conditions to bully New Delhi and remain leeched to power,”Rana said. He added that the meaningful efforts towards restoring trust in the mechanism of governance by the double-engine dispensation has made a huge difference post August 6, 2019. Redressal of grievances has hugely contributed towards fostering peace and stability in the region that has manifested huge transformation on development and economic fronts, he said.