Oppn in fix as BJP Kashmir move dominates Maharashtra poll scene

JAMMU: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah taking lead of the narrative, the constitutional and administrative change in Jammu and Kashmir is dominating the electioneering in Haryana and Maharashtra to clear advantage of Bhartiya Janta Party and much to the chagrin of all rivals of the ruling party.
May they be the speeches of Prime Minister, Home Minister or state level top leaders, the BJP is presenting itself to the voters of Maharashtra and Haryana on the basis of its move on Jammu and Kashmir which is being described as unprecedented and historical. Since the BJP has made Article 370 repeal central campaign theme, the Opposition parties have no option but to hail the Modi government for its Kashmir move.
Ever since the scrap of Article 370 on 5 August, the Opposition, wary of nationalist tide, has thoroughly supported the government on the move but have always picked holes in the matter and timing. In the election campaign even ‘manner and timing’ of Article 370 scrap is not an option of criticism of the government for the Opposition.
In Maharashtra, when the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party made a mild criticism of BJP’s Kashmir move, Prime Minister Modi took personal charge for hitting back. He dared them to declare in their manifesto that they will bring back the provisions which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Modi said this in his first rally on Sunday for the October 21 polls.
On the same day, further sharpening the party narrative for Maharashtra assembly polls on nationalism, BJP president Amit Shah praised the "man with 56-inch chest" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi for nullifying Article 370.
"After people of the country and Maharashtra voted him for the second term, Modiji did something for which the entire country was waiting for 70 years...he abrogated Article 370 on August 5 and joined Jammu and Kashmir with the country's mainstream," Shah said while addressing an election rally in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district.
He targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar for questioning the government's move to abrogate Article 370.
Shah said since the days of Jan Sangh, they have been hearing that there cannot be two prime ministers, there cannot be two symbols and two constitutions, but "it was the Congress which, by imposing Article 370, stopped the process of integrating Jammu and Kashmir with India for several years".
"As a result, thousands of our people lost their lives due to terrorism, but still there was no intention of any party to remove Article 370," he said.
"Several governments came and went, several prime ministers came and went, no one had the courage to abrogate Article 370. But, the man with the 56-inch chest scrapped it in one go," Shah said.
He said during the UPA rule, terrorists from Pakistan used to infiltrate and kill Indian soldiers.
"They used to decapitate our soldiers, but the then prime minister 'Mouni baba' Manmohan Singh never used to utter a single word. But after the Uri and Pulwama attacks, Modiji showed the courage of killing terrorists in their den through surgical strike and air strikes," he said.
Among other BJP leaders Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is also taking lead with strong arguments. “The people of Maharashtra care for Kashmir and they have the right to discuss issues related to abrogation of provisions of Article 370 there”, Prasad said in Pune.
Speaking to reporters, Prasad said opposition parties like the Congress were claiming that BJP was raising national issues like Article 370 while campaigning for Maharashtra Assembly polls.
"I want to tell them that the people of Maharashtra care for Kashmir. They have the right to speak about issues related to Kashmir. How can the Congress ask such a question," he said.
He said not a bullet had been fired since abrogation of Article 370 provisions, and 106 laws had been implemented in J-K after the move.
Despite Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing rallies in the state on Sunday, Prasad claimed the former was ignoring Maharashtra and that the opposition party had not even started its poll campaign for the October 21 polls. PTI COR BNM
Elsewhere today, NCP president Sharad Pawar asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were holding a large number of rallies if they saw "no fight" from the opposition in the Assembly poll.
Addressing a poll rally in Chalisgaon, Pawar said the BJP has lost sleep as the youngsters were gearing up to defeat the ruling party.
Pawar congratulated the BJP-led central government for abrogating Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, but also asked whether it had the courage to scrap Article 371 which gives special rights to some north-eastern states.

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