Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Bharatiya Janata Party State chief Ajay Bhatt and other leaders of the BJP have hailed the decision to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the decision, there was celebration in the BJP state office with sweets being distributed among the people.
Interacting with media persons at the secretariat, the chief minister, on behalf of the people of Uttarakhand congratulated the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah on the historical decision taken by the Union Government regarding Jammu and Kashmir.
He said, “The decision taken regarding Article 370 will remove the distance that has existed so far between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India. This will facilitate development in Jammu and Kashmir and also enable the people of that region to mingle with the national mainstream. Today, the prime minister fulfilled the promise he had made. Today, Jammu and Kashmir has undergone a rebirth.The prime minister showed the courage to revoke the Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Now Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh will be union territories. This will facilitate new standards of development to be set here and also help in better security in the border areas. This decision will have long term effects. The people in other states of India will now have a better connection with Kashmir and there will also be business, which will definitely enable progress in the region.”
He recalled the sacrifices made by the personnel of the army and paramilitary forces and added that with this decision, the dream of Shyamaprasad Mookerjee has come true. Rawat said that today, the nation has been united in the real sense. The women whose sons and husbands laid down their lives in service of the nation in Kashmir will also be happy today because now they can also live in that place if they wish to.
Replying to a question regarding the opposition of the Congress to this decision, he said that the the Congress was never created for seeking the independence of India. The Congress has continued to do the work for which it was established and can’t be expected the support the government’s decision on Article 370, he said.
The Vidhan Sabha Speaker Prem Chand Agrawal hailed the decision of the Union Government, stating that this will open the way for real integration of Kashmir with the rest of India. The government’s decision will also help in ending terrorism in the region, he said. In the BJP State office, leaders and party workers were seen celebrating the decision and offering sweets to each other.