PoK is going to be part of J&K post-elections after BJP comes to power in the state: Yogi Adityanath

Asserting that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is raising its voice for separation from Pakistan, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that PoK will become part of Jammu and Kashmir after the BJP returns to power. He said that people from various parts of the world have watched how peaceful polls are being conducted in Jammu and Kashmir in a festive mood and this is because of the government of the day which created such a situation. "After the BJP’s return (to power) here through peaceful elections, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is also going to be a part of Jammu and Kashmir. And this is the commotion in Pakistan, they are struggling to save their democracy. They are battling hard to save their democracy," Adityanath told a rally in R S Pura area.

Taking a dig at Pakistan, the chief minister said "the country is falling apart". "Pakistan has failed to safeguard its democracy. Flour in Pakistan now costs Rs 500 per kilogram, while PM Modi provides free ration to 80 crore Indians and free healthcare up to Rs five lakh. Pakistan is sinking, but India is advancing. Pakistan is a sinking ship,” Adityanath said.

"On one side there is India and on the other side there is Pakistan, there is a shortage of food there, naturally, beggar Pakistan is not able to handle itself today. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is raising its voice for separation from it. It is saying that we also had the right to participate in the J&K elections. You have to give a good message through elections," he added. Escalating his attack on Pakistan, the senior BJP leader said Balochistan is saying that our chemistry does not match with Pakistan.

"Because Pakistan is the enemy of humanity, it is a cancer of humanity. The world must be freed from this cancer," he added. Adityanath, who addressed rallies in Chhamb, R S Pura and Ramgarh, in Jammu as part of the BJP's campaign, said the large turnout of voters has shown that they have rejected the dynastic rulers and their divisive politics. "The results will be a slap on the faces of the NC, PDP and Congress," he said, urging the people of Jammu and Kashmir to ensure BJP’s victory. Adityanath further said the people of Jammu and Kashmir "want a democratic government". "They want to connect to the national mainstream and want to work for the development and progress of the region and the country," he added.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, the chief minister said, "The people from various parts of the world are watching here how peaceful polls are being conducted in Jammu and Kashmir in a festive mood. They have enjoyed it. This is because of the government of the day which created such a situation."

Adityanath said that Modi made Kashmir a world tourist destination, which registered a record high footfall of tourists in the valley. He praised Modi for opening the Kartarpur Corridor, allowing the pilgrims from India to visit the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. He also highlighted the transformation of Jammu and Kashmir, now regarded as a "tourism capital" rather than a "terrorism capital." Adityanath lashed out at the Congress for entering into a pre-poll alliance with the National Conference (NC).

He asked Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to clarify whether he and his party support the restoration of Article 370, release of detainees and other issues included in the manifesto of the National Conference.

"I want to ask Congress leader Rahul Gandhi whether he supports the National Conference's decision to have a separate flag for Jammu and Kashmir? Does Rahul Gandhi support the National Conference's demand to bring back Article 370 and 35A and push Jammu and Kashmir into an era of unrest and terrorism? Does the Congress support promoting separatism again by talking to Pakistan at the cost of the youth of Kashmir?" he asked.

The chief minister criticized the National Conference, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress for allegedly "ruining Jammu and Kashmir for 70 years". He accused them of supporting terrorism in the 1990s while enjoying vacations in Europe and England. "It was the Modi government that gave voting rights to West Pakistan refugees and the Valmikis, who were denied these rights by the previous governments in J&K," Adityanath said.

He also referred to a time when the BJP needed permission to hoist the tricolour in Lal Chowk, stating, "today, the national flag flies high there". Adityanath emphasized the significance of the ongoing assembly elections, calling them historic. "The results will be a slap on the faces of the NC, PDP and Congress," he said, urging the people of Jammu and Kashmir to ensure the BJP’s victory. Two of the three phases of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir concluded and the final phase polling will be held on October 1. The votes will be counted on October 8.

Earlier, extending an olive branch to the terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked them to give up arms and come forward for talks with the government or be prepared to get neutralised at the hands of security forces.

"For vote-bank politics, they (opposition parties) are asking for talks with terrorists. If they want to talk, let them come forward after giving up arms. In the northeast, 10,000 people have surrendered," the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, addressing a poll rally in this Assembly segment in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. This was Shah's fourth rally of the day in Udhampur and Kathua districts, which along with Jammu and Samba districts and three north Kashmir districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora, are scheduled to go to polls in the third and final phase of the Assembly election on October 1.

"Give up arms and come for talks, otherwise our forces will hunt you down," the home minister said, pledging to burry terrorism in "pataal" (under the ground). He said the BJP has strengthened grassroot-level democracy in Jammu and Kashmir, which is now moving forward on the path of development after suffering immensely due to terrorism for more than three decades.

"The first two phases of polling (on September 18 and September 25) are over and we have a record 55-per cent voting. The time has gone when you were getting elected by a few thousand votes," Shah said, targeting the National Conference (NC), People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress leadership.

"The NC and the Congress provided protection to terrorism for 40 years.... We have finished terrorism and opened new avenues of development for Jammu and Kashmir, which is marching forward along with the other parts of the country. We will not rest till terrorism is buried in 'pataal'," the home minister asserted. (PTI)