Himachal Pradesh elections: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday brought a cheer among the crowd which asked him a question on Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). Rajnath Singh is touring the state which will go to the polls on November 12 and the counting of votes will be held on December 8.
Addressing a rally in Jaisinghpur, Himachal Pradesh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “Dhairya rakhiye,” as some people in a rally asserted ‘they want PoK.’
Earlier in the day, he also addresses a rally in Solan where he said that only two Prime Ministers in the country including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi gave importance to Himachal Pradesh like nobody else. “People of this country can evaluate well what earlier governments did and what present government is doing. Cong has been in power for a long time post-independence. But only two PMs-Atal Bihari Vajpayee and PM Modi-gave importance to Himachal like nobody else”.
Meanwhile, the BJP has released its list of 68 candidates.
Singh had a few days back said Pakistan is “committing atrocities” against people in its occupied Kashmir and will have to bear its consequences. Hinting at retrieving PoK, the minister said the goal of overall development in the twin Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will be achieved “after reaching Gilgit and Baltistan” — parts of PoK.
“We have just begun our journey of development in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. We will achieve our goal when we reach Gilgit and Baltistan,” Singh said addressing the ‘Shaurya Diwas’ event — enactment of landing at Srinagar by Indian Air Force on this day in 1947.
Referring to the “atrocities” committed by Pakistan against the people in PoK, the defence minister said the neighbouring country will have to “bear its consequences”. Accusing Pakistan of shedding crocodiles’ tears in the name of human rights, Singh said, “The pain of the people of Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir also troubles us and not just them. The ‘tandav’ of terrorism that Jammu and Kashmir has seen in name of Kashmiriyat cannot be described,” he said while asserting that terrorism has no religion and the only aim of terrorists is to target India.