Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday unveiled the BJP’s manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and asserted that the restoration of Article 370 will never make a comeback.
"Article 370 is part of history and will never come back," he said.
The Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) is contesting the upcoming Assembly elections in an alliance with the Congress and has promised the restoration of Article 370 in its manifesto.
Article 370, which granted special status to J&K, was abrogated by the BJP-led Union government in August 2019, and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh—in the subsequent months.
This will be the first Assembly elections in the J&K since 2014 and is being closely observed to assess public sentiment regarding the removal of the special status.
The assembly polls are scheduled to be held in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1.
Shah stated that he had reviewed the NC's "agenda" and made it clear that Article 370 has become history and will never be reinstated.
Referring to the NC manifesto, Shah said, "How could a party issue such a manifesto and the Congress support it? I want to ask Rahul Gandhi to make the party's position clear to the nation. Does it agree with the NC's agenda or not? Give us an answer in simple yes or no."
He also emphasised that Article 370 is no longer part of the Constitution and criticised it for allegedly arming and enabling youth to pursue terrorism. "This article was the reason why weapons and stones were handed to the youth, and they were then facilitated to tread the path of terrorism instead of contributing to development," he claimed.
Shah also pledged that terrorism would be completely eradicated from Jammu and Kashmir and announced that a white paper would be issued to fix the responsibility of those involved in the rise of terrorism in the region.
He claimed that the past 10 years saw peace, prosperity, and development.
"The sound of guns and bomb blasts used to be heard in Kashmir for a very long time, but everything changed in the last 10 years. A total of 7,217 (terror-related) incidents happened between 2004 and 2014, but the number dropped to 2,272 between 2014 and 2024, marking a 70 percent decrease. The overall killings also dropped by 76 percent and civilian killings by 80 percent, while there is a huge downward trend in security force casualties," the minister said.
Shah also said stone-pelting incidents dropped from 2,654 in 2010 to zero post-August 2019, while Pakistan-sponsored strikes also came down to zero from 132 earlier. Not a single person died, nor were security personnel injured in stone peltings, as compared to 112 deaths in the previous years, the BJP leader added.
In his appeal to the electorate, Shah urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to vote for the BJP in the assembly elections, stating, "Give us a five-year tenure to ensure the development of the region."
Shah said the NC manifesto also talks about reviewing the reservation policy and said, "I want to tell Omar Abdullah that whatever the results, we will not allow you to touch the reservation granted to Gujjars, Bakerwals, and Pahadis."
"The BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, granted reservation and ensured social justice for various communities post abrogation of Article 370," he said, pledging to uphold the reservation to the communities.
The BJP has made 25 promises in its manifesto for the Union Territory, primarily focussing on wiping out terrorism and separatism from Jammu and Kashmir.
The saffron party shifted its focus on women-led development, promising to implement 'Maa Samman Yojana' to provide Rs 18,000 per year to the senior most woman in every household. It also promised to provide assistance through the state government for women SHGs on the issue of interest on bank loans.
"We have decided that we will bring Ma Samman Yojana to give Rs 18,000 to the eldest lady of every family, each year... We will give two free cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme, per year," Amit Shah said.
Catering to the youth, the manifesto mentioned that the government will create 5 lakh employment opportunities in the UT through the Pandit Prem Nath Dogra Rozgar Yojana (PPNDRY).
Amit Shah also announced that the party will provide Rs 3,000 every year through DBT as travel allowance to college students under the 'Pragati Shiksha Yojana'.
The BJP promised to distribute laptops and reimbursement of coaching fees to the tune of Rs 10,000 for 2 years and travel costs to examination centres for students preparing for competitive exams like JKPSC and UPSC.
The BJP's manifesto also mentioned a scheme that will aim for the "complete rehabilitation" of Kashmiri Pandits, with Shah saying, "The scheme will be very detailed. We will look for complete rehabilitation. Many Kashmiri Pandits and people from the Sikh community who left when the terrorism was at its peak were forced to sell their properties. We have already started working in this regard—either returning their properties or providing the amount for their properties. We are towards the completion of rehabilitation for 6,000 people."
The home minister further mentioned that BJP will provide Rs10,000 under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, comprising the existing Rs 6,000 along with an additional Rs 4,000.
The manifesto also mentioned reduced electricity tariffs, lowered by up to 50% for agricultural activities, making it more affordable for farmers to operate irrigation pumps and other machinery
Shah further announced that the BJP will give a 20% quota to Agniveers in J&K government jobs and police recruitment and will follow the Jammu-Kashmir reservation policy without affecting the general quota.
He also assured that they are determined to build 10,000 km of new rural roads and to expedite the metro services in Jammu and Srinagar.
The BJP leader said the party will undertake the reconstruction of nearly 100 ruined Hindu temples and shrines under the Rishi Kashyapa pilgrimage rejuvenation drive.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
