Chairperson Department related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Dr Radha Mohan Das Agrawal Monday asserted that post Article 370 abrogation, J&K was witnessing many positive and revolutionary changes.
Responding to media queries in Reasi, Dr Agrawal said that while terrorism registered decline, the killings of innocent civilians too stopped.
“Amid positive changes, the children and youth in J&K are focussing on studies and aspiring to excel so as to be part of the growth story. Improvement in the security scenario enabled women to move and travel till late hours. Precisely, post Article 370 abrogation, J&K has witnessed an unprecedented development,” he said.
BJP MP pointed out that J&K even in the past used to get a lot of central funds and the Centre was still doling out generous funding there.
“Earlier the central money would be misappropriated by the politicians and those advocating terrorists but now with the strengthened accountability, it was being expended on J&K citizens. These drastic changes in J&K are being experienced by one and all. Today we are experiencing it here, while being in J&K,” he maintained.
In response to a question about change in West Bengal, Dr Agrawal stated, “It was a kind of political terrorism, which came to an end through elections. The (TMC) government and its leadership had no faith in the constitutional principles, democratic process and traditions. Their policy of Muslim appeasement had exceeded all its limits and the former Chief Minister, in her arrogance of power, had started resorting to oppose and suppress sentiments of the majority Hindu population. People expressed their resentment using democratic means and responded to her policies by rejecting her in the elections.”
BJP MP maintained that his party believed in democratic values and the rule of the constitution.
“We conducted elections in J&K as well. People participated in the democratic process overwhelmingly. They voted and brought to power – the dispensation which they (people) wanted. Bengal elections have sent a message to all politicians and the political parties that if they, after coming to power, become extremist in their approach and resort to policies of discrimination towards one section of people, the electorate will not tolerate them,” he said.
Regarding the Prime Minister’s appeal for judicious use of fuel, energy resources and adopt cost-cutting measures and his (PM’s) criticism by the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhion that account, Dr Agrawal mocked, “Rahul Gandhi makes baseless, irrational and anti-national statements and thus does not deserve any comment. Has the Prime Minister made any incorrect statement? Has the Prime Ministers in the past, including Lal Bahadur Shastri, not made appeals to the people to make judicious use of resources? He is the Prime Minister of the entire country.”
“The country belongs to all citizens. The Prime Minister is only asking the people to make judicious use of resources, in the challenging circumstances across the globe (due to ongoing war in West Asia). What is wrong in it (PM’s statement)?” he asked.
Taking another dig at Rahul Gandhi, BJP MP said, “What is his (Rahul’s) character – the whole country has seen it. For the past 25 years, they were contesting elections in alliance with the DMK. This time, DMK failed to win elections and Rahul changed loyalty. We have seen the political leaders, parliamentarians shifting loyalties. But we have seen for the first time, the entire party shifting loyalty within 24 hours (of the election results).”
