Jammu & Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina and other party leaders were also present at the event.
Speaking at the manifesto release, Amit Shah said, “Since Independence, the issue of Jammu and Kashmir has remained important for our party, and we’ve always tried to keep this region with India.”
“From Pandit Prem Nath Dogra’s struggle to Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s sacrifice, this struggle was taken forward first by Jana Sangh and then by the BJP because we believe that Jammu and Kashmir has always been a part of India and will remain so,” he added.
The Union home minister also addressed the longstanding issues of terrorism and separatism in the region, saying Jammu and Kashmir faced destabilisation by various state and non-state actors until 2014.
“All other governments did politics of appeasement to deal with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. However, whenever the history of India and Jammu and Kashmir is written, the period between 2014 and 2024 will be written in golden words,” Shah added.
Hitting out at the manifesto of the National Conference and the “mute support” by its ally Congress, Amit Shah asserted that Article 370 “is history, it will never return, and we won’t let it happen.”
“Article 370 was the thing that gave weapons and stones in the hands of the youth…”
