SRINAGAR: Senior BJP Leader Devender Singh Rana, on Monday, said that the rigged elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 1987, during the tenure of the Congress government under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, led to widespread disillusionment and eventually, the emergence of militancy.
Rana asserted that the Congress’s actions created an environment conducive to Pakistan’s exploitation following the fraudulent elections, leading to the proliferation of terrorism. This, in turn, resulted in widespread devastation, chaos, and the forced displacement of the small yet tranquil minority community from their residences and homesteads.bRana was addressing a gathering of leaders in Nagrota Jammu.
“The guns would not have entered into the Valley had the elections not been rigged and theconcerns of the then Governor Jagmohan heeded to by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. It was because of the muteness of the Congress government at New Delhi that led to the eruption of terrorism, followed by total surrender by the then Union government, which served as a booster for terrorists and separatists to call the shots. Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress Government played havoc with democratic ethos and brought Jammu and Kashmir to such a morass that thousands of people got killed and widespread destruction became the norm for nearly three decades,” he added.
Rana said, that the meaningful efforts towards restoring trust in the mechanism of governance by the double-engine dispensation has made a huge difference post August 6, 2019. Redressal of grievances has hugely contributed towards fostering peace and stability in the region that has manifested huge transformation on development and economic fronts, he said.
“People in this part of the country are for the first time having a feel of being at the centre stage of various schemes aimed at ameliorating their lot. The restoration of peace has paved the way for unprecedented initiatives on infrastructural development and the implementation of various schemes. The governmental efforts are seen at ground zero in a big way, as the people are now deriving the dividends of peace,” he maintained.
