Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday made a whirlwind tour of the frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch to generate momentum in support of the Bharatiya Janta Party’s candidates ahead of the second round of polling on September 25.

Shah addressed five election meetings, two in Rajouri and Poonch and one in the Akhnoor area of Jammu.

In all his meetings, the Union Home Minister appealed to the voters to elect BJP candidates in their respective constituencies to transform the future of Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah continued his tirade against the three dynastic families namely Congress, the National Conference, and the Peoples Democratic Party, and urged the votes to defeat them.

He also slammed the Congress and the National Conference saying that during their rule, terrorism increased in Jammu and Kashmir with thousands of people being killed.

“Congress and National Conference ruled here for 35 years, terrorism increased, 40 thousand people were killed, Jammu and Kashmir remained closed for three thousand days, it remained immersed in darkness for eight years. You (Congress and National Conference) are responsible for this,” Shah said in an election rally at Surankote in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Wooing voters from the Gujjar/ Bakerwal and Pahadi tribes, the Union Home Minister said, “The people of the nation are proud and salute Pahadis, Gujjars, and Bakerwals who safeguarded the borders in 1947 and took bullets on their chest when terrorism erupted in 1990 because of the kindness of Farooq Abdullah, who fled to London to enjoy a holiday”.

Addressing two back-to-back rallies in Mendhar and Surankote, close to the line of control in Poonch, Shah said there is peace along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir as Pakistan fears Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would not dare to open fire knowing fully that India’s response will be befitting to silence its guns.

Striking an instant chord with the audience in the presence of a party candidate Murtaza Khan from Mendhar, Shah said the Centre wiped out terrorism by replacing guns and stones in the hands of youngsters with laptops and added the Government would not allow guns to resonate in the hills of the Jammu region.

“We will construct more bunkers along the borders for the safety of people. I want to remind you of cross-border firings in the 1990s… Is cross-border firing happening today,” Shah asked?

“It is because the earlier rulers here were frightened of Pakistan, but now Pakistan fears Modi. They would not dare to fire but if they did, they would be given a befitting reply,” he added.

Shah claimed that National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah is frightening people about the revival of terrorism. “I want to tell from here that despite your tutelage, Modi and Shah will not allow them to resonate in these beautiful hills again,” said Shah.

Accusing the National Conference, Congress, and PDP of encouraging terrorism, the senior BJP leader said this election will ensure an end to the three families’ rule in the Union Territory.

“It is necessary because these families never allowed the democracy to grow in J and K,” he said, adding had the BJP Government not been formed in 2014 and elections to different Panchayat Raj Institutions held, the 30,000 elected panchayat members would have never got an opportunity but instead would have worked to strengthen their ‘kingdom further’.

Referring to the National Conference (NC) manifesto that they will review the reservation given to different communities, Shah said, “I want to assure you that we will allow them to touch the reservation under the scheduled tribe status to you. We will extend the reservation to promotion (avenues of the Government employees).”

The Union Minister also targeted LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his comments against Sikhs. “Rahul Gandhi talks about ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan’ and from that ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan’ he issues orders for terrorism and says -- hold talks with Pakistan. There will be no talks with Pakistan until Pakistan stops terrorism. Talks will only be held with my Pahadi children,” he said. Shah also addressed election rallies in the Thanamandi, Rajouri, and Akhnoor to woo the voters in support of BJP.