BJP releases Jammu & Kashmir manifesto: Key promises

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday released the BJP manifesto with 25 promises for the upcoming J&K assembly polls.

"Since Independence, Jammu & Kashmir has been important for our party. We have always tried to keep this land intact with India... Our party believes that J&K has always been part of India and it will remain so. Till 2014, J&K always remain in the shadow of separatism and terrorism. Different state and non-state actors kept the state unstable. All the govt dealt with the state with a policy of appeasement. Whenever the history of J&K will be written, these ten years after 2014 will be marked as a golden period for the state," said Shah.

He said he had seen the mute support of Congress towards National Conference 's agenda. “But, I want to say to the country that Article 370 is history, it will never return, and we won't let it happen. Article 370 was the thing that gave weapons and stones in the hands of the youth..." he said. He also recalled the efforts of figures like Pandit Prem Nath Dogra and Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

Shah also said that  Narendra Modi introduced reservations for various communities, including OBCs, Gurjars, Bakarwals, and Pahadis, who had been deprived for years. "Reservations of the OBC have now been increased. The Gurjars, Bakarwals, and Pahadis were deprived of reservations for years. And today, we started giving reservations to these sections under the Modi government," Shah said.

Shah is expected to interact with BJP workers on Saturday.