Cong-NC alliance for J&K Assembly polls will have no bearing on BJP: Jitendra Singh

Jammu, Aug 27 (PTI) Exuding confidence of the BJP forming the next government in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said the pre-poll alliance between the Congress and National Conference for the upcoming assembly elections will have no bearing on his party.

Singh was in Doda district, which is part of his Udhampur parliamentary constituency, to accompany former minister Shakti Raj Parihar and Gajay Singh Rana who filed their nomination papers from the Doda-West and Doda assembly constituencies, respectively.

Tuesday was the last day for filing of nomination papers for 24 assembly segments – 16 in south Kashmir and eight in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts of Jammu region – which are going to polls in the first phase on September 18.

Talking to reporters after the filing of nomination papers by the two BJP candidates, the Union minister said this is not for the first time that a coalition between the Congress and National Conference had happened and it will have no bearing on the prospects of the BJP.

“Coalitions have been there earlier as well with a different name but despite that BJP had won from here, so it (coming together of NC and Congress) will have no impact on us…We will win easily and emerge successful in forming the government with majority without any trouble,” said Singh, who is a minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

He said the BJP is a cadre-based party and always ready for any election whether it is Lok Sabha, assembly or local bodies.

“We fight together to make the Lotus (party’s symbol) bloom,” added Singh.

Asked about the manifesto of the National Conference (NC) promising restoration of Article 370, he said this question should be asked to the Congress which has aligned with the party to know their stand on this.

“The Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee had made our stand clear in 1952 by opposing Article 370. Congress needs to be asked where they stand on the issue,” he said, adding the Congress-NC coalition is full of contradictions and will get exposed before people in the coming days.

The minister said the Congress should be thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for restoring peace in Jammu and Kashmir and allowing their leaders to move freely around and have dinner and ice-cream in Srinagar.

“We have freed the Congress which is evident from the fact that their top leaders are enjoying ice-cream and dinner in Lal Chowk. The atmosphere of normalcy is restored by Modi, facilitating their leader Rahul Gandhi to roam around Lal Chowk and Residency road and dine at a restaurant,” he said.

During their rule at the Centre and in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said they were not having courage to come out of their security cover.

They should thank Modi for bringing a change in the security situation and should cooperate fully with his government to work for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

On the possibility of restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after the assembly elections, the minister said when Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had already assured people about it, there is nothing to add on the subject.