Amit Shah: Violence down by 80 per cent under Modi govt
The home minister said the Kashmir Valley saw about 1.8 crore tourists in one year, which he called a big thing
Mumbai: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the country has witnessed an 80 per cent reduction in violence from terrorism in Kashmir, insurgency in the Northeast and left-wing extremism under the regime of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Shah is in Maharashtra for a two-day visit. Earlier in the day, he visited Dr Hedgewar Smriti Mandir at Reshimbagh area and Deekshabhoomi, where B.R. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with his followers in 1956.
Mr Shah said that the Modi government never indulged in vote bank politics.
Addressing an event of a media house in Nagpur, Mr Shah said, "Before Mr Modi came to power (at the Centre), there were three major hotspots of internal security, terrorism in Kashmir, insurgency in the Northeast and left-wing extremism. But I can say today that violence in all three hotspots has dropped by 80 per cent under the leadership of Modi ji."
Referring to the abrogation of Article 370, the Union home minister said that there was discussion in Parliament that "rivers of blood" will flow in Kashmir. "Forget about the rivers of blood; not even a single stone-pelting incident was reported," he said, adding that instead of protest processions and stone-pelting, theatres are operating at night in Kashmir. Over the last year, over 1.80 million people visited Kashmir.
Giving the data on investment, the Union minister said that there were investments to the tune of Rs.12,000 crores in Kashmir in the last 70 years. However, since the repeal of Article 370, Rs.12,000 crores in investments have poured into Kashmir over the last three years. He added that every house in Kashmir is being provided with tap water and electricity.
Referring to the Northeast, Mr Shah said that violence has decreased by 90 per cent in the last three years. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was demanding the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the region, but the Congress-led government did not remove it because there was insurgency. "However, we have now withdrawn the AFSPA from 60 per cent of the Northeast region as there is peace," Mr Shah said.
Later that day, Mr Shah, who is also the Union Cooperation Minister, attended the closing ceremony of the Sahkar Maha Conclave in Pune, which was organised by another media house. He said that the cooperative sector will have to do an introspection over its performance and it has to enhance its credibility.
"The cooperative sector will have to improve the systems through introspection and also take up its responsibilities," the Union minister said.