Asserting that the country needed “one Modi” for the removal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, senior BJP leader Ram Madhav has said that election process in the newly created Union Territory would begin after the delimitation process is over. In an interview to Panchajanya, the RSS mouthpiece, Madhav said that Pakistan’s “game plan” to internationalise the Kashmir issue will not succeed and claimed that only outstanding issue to talk to the neighbouring country will be the status of Pak occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “I would like to say it did not take 70 years, it just took one Modi for 370 to go. If you have the leadership which has the determination and will power to amend it or remove it, then ways can always be found. And a very constitutionally and legally acceptable way can be found to address the issue,” he said. He said the “decisive step” of the government in securing complete integration of India was an “unfinished” agenda and the entire country was happy and jubilant about it. He said now the ruling dispensation’s effort will be to try and tell the people that the decision is taken in the larger interest of the people. “People in the Valley are still thinking about this decision. They do not want to hit the streets against this decision. What is more important for us is to quickly take steps and see to it that the fruits of development reach the masses,” he said. He said once the development starts, people will not fall for any negative propaganda. The government has decided to organise the big Investors summit there very soon, he added. He also urged the people of the country to come forward to set the things in order. “When we say Kashmir is ours, it is not just about the territory, it is about the people, i.e., Kashmiris. We have to go and embrace the state. This is how we have to tackle it,” he said. Madhav said that on the diplomatic front, the government was trying to tackle the challenge of misinformation, lies, and propaganda. Asked about Pakistan’s efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, he said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was in frustration after India’s move. “The fact remains that we have amended only a part of our Constitution. For that matter, five years ago, Pakistan did the same thing with respect to Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). “They amended the State subject clause to allow for the Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) to be extended to people who do not belong to PoJK. Pakistani game plan to internationalise the Kashmir issue by using certain countries has not succeeded. It will not succeed anymore,” he said. Madhav, a former RSS functionary and BJP’s point person for Jammu and Kashmir, said as far as PoJK was concerned, there was an all-party consensus in the Parliament in 1994, and there is no debate about the claim. “The only outstanding issue to talk to Pakistan will be the status of PoJK,” he said. He said every discourse on issues like Jammu and Kashmir earlier used to be on the lines of what the repercussion would be but the BJP was ready to tackle the fallout. “We are a strong country and we are capable of managing it. Today, India’s stature as compared to that of our neighbour is much bigger. Despite so much of noise, Pakistan has not been able to get the support of even a single country including China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. We have shown our will power and determination. And the world respects that,” he said. Asked about Assembly polls in the region, Madhav said it was the Election Commission which has to decide. “But now that the Bill has clearly stated that the delimitation process has to be undertaken. I think once the delimitation process is over, the election process will begin,” he said. He also took on the opposition parties for criticizing the government’s move, saying that some politicians were taking the lines of Pakistan on the issue. “They were responsible for whatever unfortunate situation that has developed in J&K all these years. These parties were responsible for the rise of terrorism and separatism in the state. It was, in a way, linked to their politics. It was their bread and butter,” he said.
