Shah accuses Cong, NC, PDP of giving step-motherly treatment to Jammu, Ladakh

BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday accused Congress party, National Conference (NC), and People's Democratic Party (PDP) of meting out step-motherly treatment to Jammu and Ladakh regions while being in power.

Shah, while addressing an election rally here, said: "For 70 years, NC, PDP, and Congress had given step-motherly treatment to Jammu and Ladakh. We kept protesting but development never took off here."

"When Narendra Modi assumed power at the Centre as the Prime Minister, every day some new development initiatives take off here. Jammu has become an educational hub in the last five years. For the first time in 70 years, the people of Jammu have realised how development works are done," he said.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah said: "He fulfilled his promise of giving three per cent reservation to the people from mountainous regions."

Accusing the Congress party of being weak in tackling terrorism, he said: "The biggest issue this country is facing is security. People of Jammu and Kashmir have been facing this crisis since 1947. The Congress party was in power for most of the time from 1990-2014. Terrorists did not fear anyone," Shah said.

Calling former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as 'Mauni Baba,' the BJP president said: "No one can forget how Hemraj's head was chopped off when Mauni Baba (Manmohan Singh) government was in power."

Lauding Prime Minister Modi led BJP government for its counter-terror efforts, Shah said: "When terrorists attacked Army camp in Uri, we conducted surgical strikes but they (Pakistan) did not mend their ways."

"They carried out an attack in Pulwama in which 40 of our jawans were martyred. The entire country was enraged. Prime Minister Modi sent the Air Force, conducted air-strikes and flattened terrorist camps inside Pakistan."

The BJP president also criticised the opposition parties for their reaction to air-strikes.

"The entire country was delighted over air-strikes, but the people at two places were saddened. The one is Pakistan, which is obvious. The other ones were people from (Congress president) Rahul Baba's party, National Conference and People's Democratic Party," he said.

"They were crying as if those killed (in air strikes) were their cousins," the BJP president said.

Shah credited Pandit Prem Nath Dogra's struggle for Jammu and Kashmir being linked to India.

"If today Jammu Kashmir is linked to India thanks to the struggle and movement of Pandit Prem Nath Dogra," he said, asserting that the people want the BJP to form the next government at the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.

Jammu and Kashmir, which has six Lok Sabha seats at stake, will go to polls in five phases--April 11, April 18, May 6, Anantnag from April 23, 29, and May 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. The BJP had won three Lok Sabha seats in 2014 polls.