With the Lok Sabha elections just a stone's throw away and the nation preparaing to cast its vote on April 19, the Bharatiya Janata Party's top brass has been campaigning agrresively to work towards achieving their mission of securing 400 seats. Union home minister Amit Shah, as a part of the ongoing poll blitz is scheduled to campaign in Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir. Shah began the day with a public meeting at Manhas Sabha Ground, Paloura in Jammu where he highlighted how the union territory has benefitted the most under PM Modi's governance and stressed how "the time when stone pelting, blasts and 'manhoos saya' of Article 370 loomed over Jammu and Kashmir" has now been scrapped.
Hailing the abrogation of Article 370, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated: "If someone has benefitted the maximum in the 10 years of PM Modi's govt then it has been the brothers and sisters of Jammu and Kashmir...There was a time when stone pelting, blasts and 'manhoos saya' of Article 370 loomed over Jammu and Kashmir. Today, it has been scrapped...The youth have laptops instead of stones in their hands."
During the public address, Shah hit out at Farooq Abdullah and the PDP saying: "Today, I want to tell the youth of the valley which parties have exploited the youth in the name of protecting the valley. I want to ask Farooq Abdullah and the PDP which party has conducted the most fake encounters. Who fired bullets at the children of Kashmir? Who put guns in the hands of Kashmiri children? These are the three parties. Modi may have stopped fake encounters, but he has ended terrorism and put the boys to work"
Shah further stated that nobody has the guts to raise slogans for Pakistan now. "Slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' can only be heard...PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti had said that if Article 370 is removed then nobody will be left to give a shoulder to the tricolour...She needs to understand that this tricolour is immortal and will always stay. Article 370 was scrapped and the tricolour still flies with pride and glory," he stated.
After the public meeting at Paloura, the Union Minister will visit Durgapur in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand, where he will hold another meeting for the the Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency. Subsequently, Shah will travel to Madhya Pradesh, where he will hold a roadshow from Favvara Chowk to Badi Mata Temple in Chhindwara starting at 6:00 pm.