Jammu: BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Friday hit back at former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti for allegedly politicising Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on the revocation of AFSPA and said they should stop trying to build a fake narrative on it.
Chugh urged Abdullah and Mufti to acknowledge the Modi government’s efforts in bringing peace to the region and accused their families of promoting separatism for personal gain.
“We welcome the announcement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the Centre was prepared to revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in a phased manner. The opposition leaders like Abdullahs and Muftis should stop trying to politicise it to build a fake narrative”, Chugh, who is party in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir BJP, said.
“National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti should acknowledge the Modi government’s contribution in bringing peace to J&K,” he said.
He alleged that their families have been promoting separatism in J-K for their petty political interests. “With the new policies of the Modi government, both of them are rattled and frustrated,” he said.
He said the Modi government has taken a series of steps including abrogation of Article 370 to take J-K onto the new path of development and progress.
“Since Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said about revoking AFSPA and withdrawing troops in Jammu and Kashmir, the regional political parties, especially NC (National Conference), seem to be in absolute frustration. Perhaps NC has forgotten its role in its bringing and implementation in J-K,” Chugh said.
He criticised the NC for introducing AFSPA in 1978 to suppress political opponents, accusing them of perpetuating terrorism, separatism and corruption during their tenure.
“NC brought AFSPA to J-K in 1978 with an aim to crush their political opponents and to remain in power. This party has made enough destruction to J-K and its institutions with the help of such laws”, he said.
Chugh further said when the BJP took a stand to revisit the law now, it led the NC and its entire leadership into absolute frustration.
“NC during their times pampered terrorism, separatism and corruption. They made thousands of youth scapegoats for their cheap politics,” he said.
Chugh said the regional parties of Jammu and Kashmir have been rejected by the masses, and in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections these leaders will lose their addresses.
“Kashmiris have embraced BJP after August 05, 2019. They are supporting pro-people initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. March 7 rally at Bakshi Stadium Srinagar is an eye-opener for the regional parties. No one can stop the lotus from blooming in every house of J-K,” Chugh added.
Abdullah accused BJP leader Gen (retd) V K Singh of sabotaging the revocation of the AFSPA during the UPA-2 government when he was the Army chief.
The NC vice president also said on Wednesday that the promise of revoking the AFSPA from J-K has been made in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He alleged that the people here would be cheated just like those in Ladakh were on the promise of the Sixth Schedule.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said the revocation of AFSPA and the withdrawal of security forces from civilian areas have been important demands of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the past several years and hoped that Shah’s remarks on the issue are not just a “jumla”.
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