JAMMU: Following the revocation of Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir has been firmly integrated into the national mainstream, and the region is experiencing the benefits of democracy and development, Union Minister of State of Defence Ministry Ajay Bhatt said on Tuesday, even as the government has a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism.
Asserting that there is no alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country, Bhatt confidently predicted his re-election in the 2024 General Elections.
“In 2024, people of the country will re-elect him with a thumping majority and will give him an opportunity to serve the country again,” Bhatt told reporters here after distributing appointment letters among newly recruited youth at Jammu Convention Centre.
Bhatt also targeted opposition parties, including the Congress, for what he said were their “hit-and-run tactics” and their avoidance of parliamentary debates on issues.
On ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s claim that the Indian government threatened to shut down the company, Bhatt said it was an international conspiracy aimed at undermining India’s progress on the global stage.
“A conspiracy is going on at international level to bring India down as the country is progressing across the world,” Bhatt said. The Minister of State of Defence Ministry also cited reports by Morgan Stanley and International Monetary Fund on the growth of Indian economy. Bhatt further said that there has been a significant boom in India’s market despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview, Dorsey claimed Twitter was threatened with a shutdown and raids on its employees unless it complied with government orders to restrict certain accounts on the platform during the farmers’ protest in 2020 and 2021.
The minister also hailed the decision to remove Article 370, saying there was tremendous development taking place in Jammu and Kashmir and urged critics of the move to visit the region and witness the “positive changes” first hand.
“Traders are happy. Boatmen are happy. Hotels are full to capacity. People are not getting hotels in wake of pre-booking. There is peace”, he said.
“Children are aspiring to become doctors and engineers. There is competition among them for achieving higher goals. There is peace and progress now,” the minister said.
Following the revocation of Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir has been firmly integrated into the national mainstream, and the region is experiencing the benefits of democracy and development, he said.
Earlier, addressing a Rozgar Mela in Jammu, Bhatt said that the government has been working for development and the conduct of G20 meeting in Srinagar has reaffirmed this commitment.
During the Rozgar Mela, Bhatt handed over appointment letters to the youth selected in different departments in Jammu and Kashmir.
