Rajnath says time to review Art 370, 35A

Our Correspondent

Jaipur, April 22

Claiming that the BJP will return with clear majority in this LS polls, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said there was a need to review and assess impact of Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu & Kashmir.

“How much the entitlement benefitted Jammu and Kashmir? When a few people are raising questions there should be two prime ministers in the country then what is the significance of Article 370 and 35A,” he asked during a press conference after addressing a poll rally in support of his MoS Arjunram Meghwal at Kolayat in Bikaner district.

When reminded that why this was not done when the PDP and BJP was in power in J&K, Singh said no party was in clear majority and the BJP-PDP were running the government on experimental basis as the condition was different and necessary to run the common minimum programme. After two phases of the LS elections, it is obvious that the BJP would have a clear majority, he claimed.

Referring to the Congress manifesto in which the party promised to end the Sedition Act, Singh said this Act should be strengthened and precaution be taken that no innocent person be brought under its ambit and the Act should not be misused.

However, Singh denied to react on Sadhvi Pragya’s statement on terrorism, but he did alleged that the Congress had given a new theory of “Hindu terrorism”, which has lowered the country’s stand on anti-terrorism. Terrorism has no religion, caste or creed and the NDA government was crushing terrorists’ activities.

The Home Minister said the Opposition was doing politics over issues which should not be politicised. Instead of praising the Defence forces after the airstrike in Balakot, the opposition parties questioned it with queries on number of terrorists killed, he said.

“In 2004, India had an agreement with Pakistan in which its former army chief had assured that the country will not provide shelter and allow terrorism to flourish on its soil, but the Congress tried weakening India’s stand, saying Pakistan was also a victim of terrorism,” he said.

Blaming the Gehlot government for not implementing the Central schemes, he said the state should respect the federal structure’s sanctity for public welfare.

Cong weakened nation

The Congress has weakened India’s stand on terrorism on several occasions... it has given a new theory of “Hindu terrorism”, which has lowered the country’s stand on anti-terrorism.  Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister