Terrorists hit by note ban: Arun Jaitley

Mumbai: Union finance and defence minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said that the country’s armed forces have been successful in establishing dominance over terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre is firm in its resolve to end militancy in the state.

He also claimed that the Centre’s decision of demonitisation taken last November, had left Maoist armed groups in various parts of India as well terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir “fund starved”.

“It has greatly affected them and their activities have come down significantly,” Mr Jaitley, said at a function in the city, organised by Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar, on the topic ‘New India Pledge.’ “Stone pelters used to gather in thousands on the streets of Kashmir before demonetisation was announced, but now not even 25 come together for such agitations,” Mr Jaitley said.

“After demonetisation, separatists in Jammu and Kashmir and also Maoists in states like Chhattisgarh have become fund starved.” He also stated that issues in Kashmir had become complicated due to cross border terrorism. “The Kashmir issue has become complicated because of cross-border support (to terrorism) and  our own groups supporting the armed militants. Mass civil protests were seen in the form of stone-pelting and sometimes this was used to help terrorists escape,” Mr Jaitley said.

The defence minister also used the stage to slam previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for not having any firm policy to solve the Kashmir issue. “The earlier government did not solve the Kashmir issue then what right do they have to question us? There was a leadership which was not taking action and only finding excuses to delay taking any decision,” he alleged.

However, the Modi government was firm in its conviction that armed militancy in the state bordering Pakistan must end. “Today, a time has come where all forces—local police, central forces and the Army are dominating terrorists,” he said.

Mr Jaitley also touched the topic of demonetisation. He said that money, which was earlier outside the banking system, has got into it. It has helped in broadening the base of formal economy.

Mr Jaitley also charted out the Bharatiya Janata Party’s vision in building ‘New India’. “We want to spend funds on defence, rural development and infrastructure. We should have world-class public institutions so that shameful incidents such as the Gorakhpur tragedy do not recur,” Mr Jaitley said.

Mr Jaitley cited many examples of successful and path-breaking decisions taken by the Narendra Modi government. He listed the GST rollout, notes ban, the insolvency and bankruptcy code, amendment laws related to benami transactions, fair allocation of spectrum and natural resources and double taxation avoidance treaties signed with various countries, as some of the biggest reforms ever, undertaken by the Modi government.