Take pledge to ensure J&K gets first BJP CM after assembly polls: Ravinder Raina tells party workers

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina on Saturday urged workers and leaders to work together to ensure that the Union Territory gets its first chief minister from the saffron party by winning the next assembly elections on its own.

Addressing hundreds of party delegates attending the two-day 'Vistarit Karyasamiti Baithak' that began at Mishriwala near here on Friday, Raina slammed the Congress and the National Conference for allegedly exploiting different sections of people for vote bank politics.

Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Jitendra Singh, National General Secretary, in charge J&K, Tarun Chugh and other prominent leaders of the BJP including former deputy chief ministers Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta attended the meeting which commenced at BJP headquarters here.

BJP national president and Union Minister J P Nadda is also attending the meeting in the second half to discuss the party's roadmap for upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

"We have to take a pledge before leaving this meeting that we will work with a goal to achieve a majority in the next assembly elections. Our pledge is to form the next government on our own and have a BJP chief minister and we have to work together to achieve this goal," Raina said.

The meeting started with the participants paying rich tributes to BJP ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his 123rd birth anniversary. Mookerjee was one of the founders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Mookerjee, who strongly opposed to now scrapped Article 370 providing special status to Jammu and Kashmir, died under mysterious circumstances in 1953 shortly after his arrest in Jammu and Kashmir following his agitation for "Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan aur Do Nishan nahi challenge" (A single country cannot have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two national emblems).

"On May 17, 2023, we took a pledge with the focus on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and we are thankful to 15 lakh workers of the party who worked hard and ensured the win of both the candidates from the two Lok Sabha seats from J&K. We have to rededicate ourselves and outperform Congress and National Conference," Raina said.

He said the Congress and NC have exploited different sections of the people for vote bank and “it was Prime Minister Modi-led government which provided justice to different deprived sections of the society, including West Pakistani and PoJK refugees, Gujjars, Bakerwals and Paharis.”

"BJP under the leadership of Modi healed the wounds of the people and ensured restoration of peace, prosperity and development. It was the BJP which strengthened gross-root level democracy by implementing the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments and bridged ‘Dil and Dilli ki Doori’. If there is any pending issue that is getting back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” he said.

Union Minister Reddy, who is BJP’s election in charge for Jammu and Kashmir, said the meet is part of the party's nationwide programme to prepare a roadmap for the next three to four months after the formation of the NDA-led government at the centre for the third term.

“Such meetings are planned everywhere in the country and we are conducting a detailed review of Lok Sabha results, getting feedback from the workers and preparing a roadmap for the next three to four months,” he told reporters.

He said the next assembly elections will definitely come up for discussion during the meeting.

“After abrogation of Article 370, a positive atmosphere is prevailing in J&K and you will see the party’s support base further strengthening across Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding that BJP will highlight all its achievements made in the Union Territory over the last 10 years.