Union Home Minister, Amit Shah will visit Jammu and Kashmir for three days during which he will lay the foundation stone of cancer hospital in Srinagar, former minister and BJP’s Kashmir Affairs in charge, Sunil Sharma said on Saturday.
Sharma said the HM will address mega rallies in Rajouri and Baramulla districts on October 1 and 2 respectively. He may also pay obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra and review developmental activities and security situation before flying back to the national capital.
Addressing a press conference, Sharma said that Shah will arrive in the winter capital on September 30. On the next day, he will address a mega rally in Rajouri district and pay obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra.
Sharma said Shah will then fly to Srinagar where he will address a mega rally in Baramulla town on October 2 for which preparations are underway.
“He will talk about several issues with the people of Kashmir in the rally and will also highlight various things regarding development in Jammu and Kashmir and what central government is doing on various fronts for the development of J&K,” Sharma said.
Replying to a question, Sharma said that it is the prerogative of the Election Commission of India to make announcement about holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir and that BJP is always ready for elections.
He also said that connecting Amit Shah’s visit with holding of elections in Jammu and Kashmir "would be wrong, as this is his routine visit to the region". “He has yesterday visited Bihar as well and he will be visiting J&K also, which is a routine visit to take stock of several developmental projects and security issues,” he said.
He said that Amit Shah will also lay foundation stone for Cancer hospital, being constructed by the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, in the Valley.
The BJP leaders have said that the Home Minister would kickstart the party’s election campaign in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Every person has faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. To give that belief a shape, to fulfil those expectations, and to assess the developmental activities of the UT’s LG administration, the Union Minister will arrive in J-K on September 30,” he said.
Sharma said Shah’s visit is a major move forward to strengthen the belief of the people in the BJP and the Union government, “It will be the Union home minister’s direct dialogue with the people of Kashmir in the form of the rally,” he added.
While the party officially said the visit was not linked to the polls, the BJP leader quoted above without being named said, “Home Minister Shah’s visit to address two mega public rallies will be the beginning of the BJP’s election campaign from the Muslim majority districts.”
“Both Rajouri and Baramulla are home to a large population of Pahari-speaking people who have attached high hopes from the BJP for grant them scheduled tribe status,” a BJP leader said.