Amit Shah kicks off J&K election campaign, asks Rahul: ‘You promise statehood but who has power to do so?’

At the same time, he appealed to the youth of Kashmir not to vote for the National Conference-Congress alliance, saying it could “bring back militancy”.

He also criticised NC leader Farooq Abdullah, saying while he had left for London after the emergence of militancy, it was the youth of the Valley who got killed in militant violence.

Shah also ruled out talks with Pakistan “unless there is peace”, asking people of Jammu and Kashmir to choose between development and terrorism.

“If NC and Congress come to power, terrorism will follow, but if BJP returns, the question of terrorism doesn’t even arise. Do you want to go back to the dark days of terrorism or march forward with development and progress?” he asked.

On the Congress, he accused its leader Rahul Gandhi of “misleading the people of J&K”.

“You promise them to restore statehood, but who has the power to do so?” he asked, adding: “Only our government can grant statehood, and we have already assured that it will be done at the appropriate time after elections”.

Describing the coming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as “historic, as these were being held for the first time under provisions of the B.R. Amedkar’s Constitution of India and under the one Indian flag”, Shah said that the BJP will fight and win the elections in “full force”.

J&K will vote for its 90-member assembly in three phases from September 18 to October 1. Votes will be counted on October 8.