ven as the policy-planning group constituted by the Congress over the ongoing turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir held its maiden meeting, the Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah said here on Saturday that the cause of the “Kashmir problem” was the Congress.
“Since 1989, there have been phases of disturbances in Kashmir, which is not new and such situations have been controlled as well. I am sure the current situation will be under control very soon,” Mr. Shah said at a “meet-the-press” programme.
Reacting to the Congress meeting, Mr. Shah said, “Congress is the chief cause behind Kashmir problem and its character has been exposed in public at several occasions.”
Countrywide tour
Mr. Shah, who visited Chandigarh as part of a 95-day countrywide tour to strengthen the party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, inaugurated the renovated party office. He said the people of the country have full faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies and the BJP would emerge victorious in 2019.
“We [the BJP] will win the 2019 Parliament elections and the victory would be bigger than in the last election [2014] ... BJP has given a corruption-free government during the past three years,” Mr. Shah said, adding that the party had been able to rescue the country from the clutches of dynastic politics, casteism and the politics of appeasement.
Analysing defeat
On the party’s defeat in the recent Punjab Assembly polls, Mr. Shah said, “We are internally analysing the reasons for the defeat.” He added that the alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) “'continues as of now”.
Mr. Shah dismissed reports that any of the Punjab MLAs from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were in touch with the BJP.
In a meeting with party cadre, Mr. Shah said, “Workers act as a spine for any party and it is with the help party workers that the BJP has emerged as the biggest single largest party with over 11 crore members.”
