New Delhi, 29th May. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an exclusive interview with NDTV, asserted that the abolition of Article 370 has strengthened democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. Shah emphasized that this move sent a definitive message to the residents of the Valley that they are an integral part of India.
“Modi ji scrapped Article 370 and sent a message to the Valley that you are a part of India and India belongs to you, you belong to India. I believe because of this, the foundation of democracy there got stronger, and not just Lok Sabha polls, even panchayat polls saw 90 percent voting. I believe it is a huge achievement and every Indian should welcome this,” Shah told NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia.
Shah elaborated that the BJP government’s success in the region is evident from the participation of even separatist group members in the electoral process. “Some people from Jamaat-e-Islami and Hurriyat voted and said they voted under the Indian Constitution since there is no J&K Constitution. Jammu and Kashmir is now under the Indian Constitution, so I believe Narendra Modi’s Kashmir policy was successful. For many years, Kashmir was being governed through appeasement politics, but not anymore,” the Home Minister stated.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is aiming for a third consecutive term. The last phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections will be held on June 1, with results announced on June 4.
Responding to a question about the BJP’s goal of winning over 400 seats, Shah said, “When we won the 2014 elections under Narendra Modi’s leadership on the slogan of absolute majority, many political analysts from Delhi had said this was not possible. But we got an absolute majority. Then, in 2019, when we gave the slogan of ‘300 plus’, people said it is not possible. People are saying the same this time. But I think they will believe us in the next election before ‘400 par’ is happening this time.”
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