J&K Poll Results: There are individuals calling for the release of all terrorists in prison and seeking the restoration of Article 370. With such an attitude, if they were to enter the assembly and then push for statehood, how would we handle the release of terrorists and separatists? Ram Madhav stated.
New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir will eventually regain its statehood, but there are some conditions attached, senior BJP leader Ram Madhav suggested today. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Madhav, who previously oversaw the Union Territory, stated that the BJP is committed to restoring statehood on the floor of the House.
When asked about a timeline for this restoration he remarked Remember Jammu and Kashmir has made significant progress in the last 5 to 10 years. It has moved away from its terror-based identity and is now a relatively peaceful state concerning separatism… even the Jamaat has participated in the electoral process. That is a considerable achievement. However, those in power in the state must assure the people in Delhi that they will not bring back those tendencies to the region. Only then can full statehood be feasible.
Madhav continued, there are individuals calling for the release of all terrorists in prison and the restoration of Article 370. With such an attitude, if they enter the assembly and push for statehood, how can we manage the release of terrorists and separatists? This poses challenges for larger national security issues. However, we are in favour of granting statehood to the UT sooner rather than later he added.
The National Conference led by Omar Abdullah along with its ally Congress has emerged victorious in Jammu and Kashmir securing 49 out of 90 seats. Both parties made the restoration of statehood a key election promise. The BJP also reiterated this commitment but the election results suggest that the Valley remains unconvinced.
The BJP managed to win 29 seats all of which were in the Jammu region.
In an earlier Omar Abdullah the likely candidate for Chief Minister of J&K expressed his willingness to set aside the Article 370 issue and establish a collaborative relationship with the Centre.
In response to this, Madhav stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi treats all states equally regardless of which party is in power. We would certainly work for the benefit of the people of Jammu and Kashmir he added.
