STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar/Jammu: The BJP on Saturday celebrated the fourth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 by holding a public meeting in Srinagar.
The Centre on this day in 2019 had revoked Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated it into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Several leaders and workers of the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit, led by general secretary organisation, J&K, Ashok Koul, participated in the meeting at Jawahar Nagar.
This programme was held to open the eyes of those leaders who are trying to “provoke” the people in the name of Article 370, party spokesperson Thakur Abhijeet Jasrotia told reporters in Srinagar. “These leaders are propagating lies, but the common people and the poor want development…Today, people have risen above dynastic politics, and they do not want any Abdullah or Mufti to befool them,” he said in an apparent reference to National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supremo Mehbooba Mufti.
During the meeting, BJP leaders highlighted the changes in Jammu and Kashmir after the Centre’s 2019 decision, with Jasrotia saying there used to be shutdowns for the most part of the year in the Kashmir Valley, but now, there are no strikes.
BJP leader Koul said Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a lot of changes post-2019.
“Kashmir has changed, stone pelting has ended, separatism has ended. International events have taken place here. There has been a record number of tourist arrivals,” he said.
On the PDP’s claim, Koul said he does not know about the issue and only the administration can answer. But, what would have the PDP done by getting permission for the event, he asked and said “they would have provoked people which could have caused more problems”.
West Pakistani refugees, Gurkhas and Valmiki Samaj members took to streets in Jammu and Samba districts and celebrated the fourth anniversary of the article’s abrogation, saying it facilitated them to get citizenship of Jammu and Kashmir after a long wait of several decades.
“We got real freedom four years ago, otherwise we were living like slaves in J-K. Now, we are the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir, and have all rights, including voting to choose our representatives, own land and ensure our children get higher education,” West Pakistani refugees’ leader Laba Ram Gandhi said.
