PM Modi Abrogated Article 370, 35A, Showed Pakistan Its Place: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed Pakistan its place by abrogating Article 370 and 35A and established that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.

Mr Shah also said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should tell people of Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana, when he goes there, whether he was with the decision to abrogate Article 370.

Assembly elections are due in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana this year.

Addressing a public meeting after launching the BJP's ''Johar Jan Ashirwad Yatra'', the BJP president said his party stood in favour of removing Article 370 ever since it had been there, and asked why the Congress felt a "stomach ache" following its annulment.

Located in santhal paragana near Dumka, Jamtara is more than 250 km from the capital Ranchi. Johar is a tribal salutation.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Union Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda and Bihar minister Nand Kishore Yadav, who is BJP's in-charge of Jharkhand, were present on the occasion.

"Removing Article 370, Modi ji showed Pakistan its place, and established that Kashmir is an integral part of India," Mr Shah said. "Our stand has been to remove Article 370 ever since it had been there," Mr Shah said and asked "why the Congress felt a ''stomach ache'' following its abrogation?".

Making a scathing attack at the Congress, he said the party had also opposed and sought evidence after surgical strike.

"They (Congress) should tell the people which direction they want to go," he added.

Mr Shah said even while being in the opposition, his party leaders had supported the government on important issues. "Atal Bihari Vajpayee had supported former prime minister Indira Gandhi after winning the Bangladesh Liberation war.

"Atal ji also put Indias side at the United Nations on Kashmir issue when former prime minister PV Narasimha asked him to go and put Indias side," Mr Shah said.

With assembly election in Jharkhand expected shortly, the BJP president sought to know what the Congress-led UPA government had given to the state in terms of developmental initiatives.

The BJP president said that the Congress had not accepted Jharkhand peoples decades-old wishes for a separate state, but it was for prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had fulfilled their dreams.

"I don't hesitate to say that Atal ji created Jharkhand and Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji nursed it towards development during the last five years," Mr Shah said.

Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar and made a separate state in 2000 by the then NDA government of AB Vajpayee. Referring to how the previous Arjun Munda-led governments in the state had been overthrown due to lack of majority, Mr Shah said the people had given a stable government in 2014 under the leadership of Chief Minister Raghubar Das and the state government worked for their development.

"There is Modi government above and Raghubar Das government below. The double engine governments have changed Jharkhand, and the evidence is that the people of Jharkhand gave 12 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats to Modi government in the Lok Sabha elections," Mr Shah said.

"Naxalism was there, but now Jharkhand is headed towards almost naxal-free state and moving forward with developmental initiatives," he said.

Mr Shah gave an account to the people of how the central and state governments developed the sectors like electricity, housing, health care, toilet construction, free of cost gas connection and drinking water, two battalions comprising Paharia tribes and setting up nearly 70 Eklavya schools the current regime, and demanded that the Congress should also give an account what it had done during its ten years rule.

"I would like to ask what has the UPA given in its ten years rule to Jharkhand? While the 13th Finance Commission had given only 55 thousand and 200 crore to Jharkhand, the 14th Finance commission under Narendra Modi gave 2.5 times more funds, giving one lakh and forty-five thousand crore," Mr Shah said.

He said after the "Johar Jan Ashirwad Yatra" of Chief Minister Raghubar Das, which he kicked off Wednesday from Jamatra, will criss-cross all the 81 assembly constituencies and when it reaches Ranchi, the BJP would once again form a majority government. "The double engine governments will make Jharkhand the number one state in the country," Mr Shah promised.