Amit Shah: Violent phase of terrorism ended in J&K

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that to fulfil the Prime Minister’s dream for a new India and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, the violent phase of militancy had ended and a peace and development era has begun in the entire Northeastern region and Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a gathering in western Assam’s Kokrajhar, bordering West Bengal, Shah said that with the repeal of Article 370, violence has been tamed in Jammu and Kashmir while with the historic Bodo Peace Accord the violent phase has ended in the Bodo Territorial Region (BTR) comprising four districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri.

“With absolutely no violence and a huge number of people exercised their franchise both in the District Development Council polls in Jammu and Kashmir (in November) and in the Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls (in early December),” he said.

Shah said that the BTC polls’ success is a semi-final and the BJP would win comfortably in the final match Assam Assembly elections, likely to be held in April-May.

The Kokrajhar public rally was organised on Sunday to celebrate the first anniversary of the signing of the Bodo peace accord with the Central government on January 27, 2020 in New Delhi in the presence of Shah. In all, 1,615 cadres of four National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) factions had laid down their arms on January 30 last year after the signing of the accord.

The Home Minister said that over 5,000 people had been killed during the many years of terrorism and now the absolute peace has been prevailed in the BTR and adjoining areas after the signing of the historic Bodo Peace Accord and over 80 per cent people cast their votes in the last month’s BTC polls.

Promising to fulfil all the provisions of the Bodo accord, the Union Minister said that peace has been established and rapid development was now underway not only in Assam but also in the entire Northeast region.