Abid Bashir
Jammu, Jul 5: Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from J&K were given a green signal on Assembly polls post Amarnath Yatra on Friday in a high level meeting chaired by the Union Minister and J&K election incharge G Kishen Reddy in Jammu. The party also evolved a consensus to include retrieval of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in its election manifesto while it also decided to demand Bharat Ratna for Mahraja Hari Singh for his decision of acceding to India in 1947.
Reddy, chaired the meeting of BJP’s office bearers at Trikuta Nagar, Jammu where BJP national General Secretary and J&K affairs incharge Tarun Chug, MPs Dr Jitendra Singh, Jugal Kishore, J&K party chief Ravinder Raina, BJP’s Co-inchage for J&K Ashish Sood, BJP leader and former Assembly speaker Kavinder Gupta besides other leaders were present.
Reddy, who was connected with Jammu and Kashmir, first as the Union Minister of State for Home and then Tourism Minister, was recently appointed as the Election Incharge for the UT. He is presently the Cabinet Minister for Coals and Mines.
A source, privy to the meeting, said that Reddy informed the party leaders that Assembly polls in J&K will be held in time (September-October). “The party leaders were clearly conveyed that Assembly polls will be held in J&K post Amarnath Yatra and they must gear up without any further delay. The party men were also told that BJP will contest on all seats and there will be no alliance with any party,” the source revealed. The annual pilgrimage of Amarnath started on June 29 and will culminate on August 19.
Today’s meeting comes prior to the important session to be held in Kathua district tomorrow (July 6) that will be chaired by party’s national president JP Nadda.
The source said that the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting was framed that it was stressed that BJP leaders right from top to bottom in J&K must pull up their socks and launch a massive public outreach prior to elections. “It was also decided that retrieval of PoK will be made part of the BJP’s election manifesto,” the source said. “It would be one of the poll planks of the party.”
The party, as per the source, will also demand Bharat Ratna for Mahraja Hari Singh who acceded to the Union of India in 1947. “Bharat Ratna for the then Mahraja has to be on the grounds that he took a wise decision for Akhand Bharat,” he said.
A party leader, who was part of the meeting, said that the party will unanimously convey to the national president in tomorrow’s meeting that “we were ready to contest polls on all seats in J&K.” “We will also wait for the message Nadda will convey to party ranks,” he said. “One thing is clear that elections will be held in September-October and we have to be ready for a big fight.” He said the plan is to bag at least 40 seats to stake claim on government formation.
Pertinently, the Election Commission of India has already started the preparations for holding Assembly polls in J&K. On May 16, Union Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar and conveyed to BJP leaders that gear up for Assembly polls and that the party would fight on all seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of international Yoga day at SKICC Srinagar had stated that the day was not far when J&K people would choose their own government and time wasn’t far when J&K would march towards success and progress as a ‘State’ again.
The Supreme Court of India had directed the Centre to hold Assembly polls in J&K in September and to restore the Statehood as soon as possible.
