‘PoK residents should join India, we consider them…’ : Rajnath Singh at J&K Assembly election rally

Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the residents ofPakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) should join India as unlike Pakistan, the New Delhi consider them our own.

The Defence Minister was speaking at an Assembly election rally in Ramban of Jammu and Kashmir in support of the BJP candidate Rakesh Singh Thakur.

Slamming the National Conference-Congress alliance over its poll promise of restoring Article 370, the Union minister said it is impossible as long as the BJP is there.

The Union minister said following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, there is a "sea change" in the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, adding that youths now carry laptops and computers instead of pistols and revolvers.

"Support the BJP to form the next government in J-K so that we can facilitate massive development in the region. There will be so much development that the people in PoK on seeing this should say that we do not want to live with Pakistan and instead will go to India," Singh said.

“I heard that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah sahab said that Afzal Guru should not have been hanged. I want to ask him that Afzal Guru should not have been hanged, should he have been garlanded publicly? ...Form a government here too, seeing the development here, the people of PoK will say that we do not want to stay with Pakistan, we want to go with India...we consider the people of PoK as our own, come and join us. I have received information, some border fencing work is going on, that border fencing work will also be completed,” the Defence Minister added.

"We have never discriminated with anyone. Our Army is here, I want to ask you, do they discriminate? You people are fortunate, we have abrogated Article 370 - we have done that for the prosperity and happiness of J&K. What did Article 370 give to you? Be it Congress, NC or PDP, they tell you that the BJP has discriminated against the people of J&K. I want to tell you, if we do any wrong, condemn it publicly. We don't want your support by keeping you in the dark..." Singh added.

Singh, in Banihal rally, said the government is ready to start dialogue with Pakistan if it stops supporting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir  

Rajnath Singh, a star campaigner of the BJP, is also scheduled to visit adjoining Banihal constituency to seek votes for party candidate Mohd Saleem Bhat who is pitted against former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president and ex-minister Vikar Rasool Wani.

Vikar Rasool Wani is looking for a hat-trick of wins from the Banihal seat. He faced a major challenge from the National Conference's Sjjad Shaheen and the PDP's Imtiyaz Shan.