Won’t take long to restore statehood to J&K: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the centre will not take long to restore Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir which was converted into the Union Territory on August 5, 2019 and declared that there will be a wave of development there in next 5-6 months as Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha is taking development to grass-root level.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has committed Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. I have also stated this on floor of Parliament. We won’t go back from our promise. It (restoration of Statehood to J&K) won’t take too long,” Shah said in an interview to CNN News 18 Network.

Shah’s statement assumed significance as almost all political parties have been demanding restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. While withdrawing special status of J&K on August 5, 2019, the Central Government had bifurcated erstwhile State into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.

Asserting that development in Jammu and Kashmir remained priority of the Central Government, the Home Minister said law and order situation has normalized in Kashmir and a lot could have been done for development of Jammu and Kashmir but due to spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the development did take a hit there.

“Now Manoj Sinha has gone there. He has started the process to take development to grass-root level in Jammu and Kashmir. The stalled development projects have been expedited,” Shah said adding: “In 5-6 months, you will see a wave of development in J&K.”

To a question on senior Congress leader and former Home Minister P Chidambaram’s statement that Article 370 should be restored to Jammu and Kashmir, he said the Congress Party had also taken similar stand in the Parliament.