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| INTERVIEW :BJP committed to restore J&K statehood: Arvind Gupta | | ‘Kashmir based parties still stuck in past, Article 370 is a history’ | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 18: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Jammu West, Arvind Gupta, on Wednesday said that his party is committed to restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
Speaking exclusively to Early Times, Gupta emphasized that the Ministry of Home Affairs is closely monitoring the situation and that the decision to restore statehood lies with the Centre.
“BJP also wants J&K to become a state again,” Gupta stated. “It takes some time to streamline things. The Centre will restore statehood once it is convinced that the situation has become conducive. The government has reiterated that statehood will be restored, and it will be done,” he assured.
Gupta acknowledged the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for statehood and development, emphasizing that his party’s commitment remains unwavering. “We are working towards creating a peaceful and progressive Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Commenting on the last assembly session held in Srinagar, Gupta accused Kashmir-based parties of having a “different agenda” that, he claimed, hinders developmental discussions.
Taking a dig at Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, he alleged bias in the proceedings. “We expected the speaker to remain non-partisan, but he acted like a representative of one party rather than the entire house,” Gupta said. He also alleged misconduct during the session, claiming, “Marshalls misbehaved with legislators at the behest of the speaker.”
Gupta revealed that the BJP had attended the session with the intent to discuss the region’s developmental roadmap for the future. “We wanted to talk about how J&K will be in 2047 and fulfil the commitments we’ve made to the people of Jammu but Kashmir based parties were in a hurry to present a resolution on the Article 370. They disrupted the proceedings,” he said.
Addressing the stance of National Conference (NC) and other Kashmir-based parties, Gupta dismissed calls for the reinstatement of Article 370, saying, “Article 370 is history, and it won’t come back. These parties are still stuck in the past, while we are focused on development.”
Gupta highlighted the BJP’s achievements in the last assembly elections, asserting that the party had secured 25.9% of the votes, the highest among all parties, compared to NC’s 23%. He described the vote share as evidence of the people’s trust in BJP’s vision.
“People of Kashmir want development and prosperity. They are for peace,” he said, adding that the region’s burgeoning tourism industry is a testament to this desire. “Last year, 2 crore tourists visited Kashmir, giving a major boost to the economy,” Gupta noted.
While acknowledging that the BJP had hoped to form the government, Gupta admitted that the party fell short of achieving a majority. Despite this, he reiterated the BJP’s commitment to ensuring development across the Union Territory. |
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