‘BJP WILL DO WELL IN JK’
STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: There will be no dialogue with Pakistan till it continues to violate ceasefire along the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister General (Retd) V.K Singh said on Saturday.
“Dialogue process has been stopped because if you (Pakistan) are firing at me, you are stopping my ability to talk to you,” the Minister of State for External Affairs told reporters here.
The former Army Chief said New Delhi has conveyed the message to Islamabad that ceasefire violations and dialogue cannot go together.
“So that is what has been conveyed by telling Pakistan that, look here, you cannot do both the things together,” he said.
On the standoffs with the Chinese Army in Ladakh, Singh said there is an ongoing dialogue process.
“There is a Line of Actual Control. The perceptions of both the countries on the Line of Actual Control differ,” he said.
Gen Singh said the issue figured in the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the latter’s visit to India.
“I think in the recent talks between our Prime Minister and President of Peoples’ Republic of China, these issues have been talked about. We will see the results as time passes,” he added.
V.K Singh took a jibe at senior Congress leader P Chidambaram’s comment on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), saying the latter did not even know in what context he was making such a remark.
“I don’t give much weight to what Chidambaram says. He says one thing at one time, second day he says something else. He doesn’t even know in what context he was talking of,” said Singh.
“Armed Forces Special Powers Act is only an enabling Act. It does not give unlimited powers,” he added.
On ensuing elections, Gen Singh asserted that his party will do well in Jammu and Kashmir as its main plank is development of the State.
“I am quite sure that the people, like rest of the country, will choose development as the main plank. The party (BJP) will do extremely well because none of the parties, mainstream or otherwise in Jammu and Kashmir has brought in development for people,” Singh, who is also Union Minister of State for External Affairs, told reporters here.
Questioning the development claims of successive governments in the State, the BJP leader said “we have seen what kind of development is taking place (in Jammu and Kashmir).
“We have seen what has happened in the recent floods… I can keep narrating incidents to you where the governments have floundered out here,” he said adding these are the parties which are saying that they want to get maximum seats in the elections. “None of them has benefited the people so far and so I think a time has come for the people to choose a party which will stand by them in the developmental needs of the State,” he said.
He further said he has come here to meet the people who are in the party and those who are fighting the five-phase Assembly polls, scheduled to begin on 25th November 25. “I have come here to meet our people who are in the party organisation. I have come here to meet the people who are our candidates and get a feel how things are going,” he said.
Replying to questions about the issue of Hindu Chief Minister raised by certain parties, he said only insecure political leaders talk about such things. “When people start feeling insecure they start talking of such things. No sane political leader, no mature political leader will ever talk of things like this,” he said. Asked about the posters calling for boycott of the polls, he said “when people start putting up posters it shows that they are absolutely insecure. They know their influence is going down. “I am quite sure people of Kashmir want development, people of Kashmir want a similar type of lifestyle which rest of the country enjoys. They want all facilities which should come and these are not going to come by (militant group) Hizbul Mujahideen, they are not going to come by any separatists who have some other agendas,” he said.
The minister said development can be ensured only when people can take part in the democratic process by electing a government that can do something for them. Asked about BJP stand on Article 370 which guarantees special status to Jammu and Kashmir, he said his party wants a discussion on various such things for the benefit of the people of the country.
“Art 370 is there in the country, is part of the Constitution. All that we said in the party at some point of time that there are lot of such things in the country which need to be discussed so that we can ensure that these work for the benefit of the people,” he said.
On the possibility of BJP entering post-poll alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, he said “Let the polls get over, we will decide. These things will only come up once the elections take place and we come to know how the things are.”
The BJP leader was here to interact with party candidates and leaders for the Assembly elections in the State which will begin on 25th November 25.
