‘House VOTE’ from Dal Lake: Will BJP form government in J&K on its own? Know what Nirmal Singh said

New Delhi/Srinagar:

Voting for the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024 ended on Wednesday (September 18). Votes were cast in 24 assembly seats of 7 districts. 58.19% voting took place till 5 pm. Final data is yet to come. Kashmir is also called heaven. To gauge the election atmosphere in this paradise and understand the mood of the voters, NDTV has brought its special presentation ‘House VOTE’ from Dal Lake. Under this, we had a special conversation with senior BJP leader and in-charge of BJP campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Nirmal Singh. During this, Nirmal Singh told that full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir is an issue of only a few parties. This is not an issue for the common man. Because the common man is confident that when PM Modi has said it, the state status will be given.

Why is there no mention of full statehood in BJP’s manifesto? In response to this, Nirmal Singh says, “This is BJP’s manifesto. This is BJP’s vision about Jammu and Kashmir. How should the Kashmir of PM Modi’s dreams be? How can peace be maintained? This is his manifesto. As far as giving full statehood is concerned, it is a technical process. When PM Modi has talked about full statehood, there is no need to bring it in BJP’s manifesto.”

‘House VOTE’ | “BJP will form the government on its own” : BJP leader Dr. Nirmal Singh on Jammu and Kashmir elections @maryashakil , @nazir_masoodi , #JammuKashmirElection2024 , #ElectionsWithNDTV pic.twitter.com/tvhTg8GLfM

— NDTV India (@ndtvindia) September 18, 2024

BJP leader Nirmal Singh said, “The issue of full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir is the issue of National Conference, PDP, Congress or other small parties. It is not the issue of anyone else. In fact, statehood is the issue of some parties, it is not the issue of the common man. The common people are sure that since the PM has said it, statehood will come one day. But the other parties are worried about statehood only because they want to measure their status with it.”

Why did Congress remain silent on Article 370 in its manifesto? What has been the attitude of its leaders?

Why were the powers of the Lieutenant Governor increased?
If Jammu and Kashmir has to be given the status of a full state, then why is the government increasing the powers of the Lieutenant Governor? Will increasing the powers of the LG and not giving a timeline for statehood not create confusion among the people? Answering this, Nirmal Singh says, “Right now Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory. Therefore, the powers of the LG have been increased to ensure smooth functioning. When statehood comes, everything will happen as per the rules.”

What are BJP’s expectations from Jammu and Kashmir elections?
In response to this, Nirmal Singh said, “For the last 30 years, Jammu and Kashmir has been a victim of extremism and terrorism. Nearly 50 thousand bodies have fallen. Despite having so much potential here, we could not provide employment to the youth. Economic development could not take place. Therefore, our expectations are clear. BJP should form the government in Jammu and Kashmir, so that the new government can complete the work that has not been done till now.”

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Nirmal Singh, “What did the previous governments give to the youth of Kashmir? Stones and guns in their hands. They were pushed towards terrorism and Pakistan. BJP calls them the parties of three families. The politics and the structure that was woven around it benefited only these people. Everyone else suffered. We want to compensate for this loss.”

What will be the future of BJP in Kashmir Valley?
There are 47 seats in Kashmir valley. BJP has fielded only 19 candidates. That is, BJP did not field any candidates on 28 seats. On the question of BJP’s future in the valley, Nirmal Singh says, “There are 43 seats in Jammu. BJP has fielded candidates on all the seats here. We are contesting on 19 seats in Kashmir valley. Earlier BJP used to field candidates on all the seats in Kashmir valley. But that was done just for the sake of fielding a candidate. This time it is not like that. Everything is being done under a plan.”

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What changes have come in Kashmir?
Nirmal Singh says, “After the removal of Article 370, a big change has come in Kashmir. Earlier people used to hide terrorists. Now they report about them. Terrorism in the Kashmir Valley is at its last stage. The entry of independent candidates in the elections is a victory for democracy.”

Nirmal Singh says, “Our goal is to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir. I hope that our candidates will win all the 19 seats in the Kashmir Valley. There is an atmosphere of victory. We will do a clean sweep in Jammu. Our government will be formed.”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul reiterated the promise of restoration of full statehood status of Jammu and Kashmir