Won’t let Pak run its agenda in J&K: PM Modi thunders at Katra rally

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sent a strong message to neighbouring Pakistan amid its attempts to ‘hobnob with like-minded’ parties in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and said that no power in the world can bring back Article 370 in the Valley.

“I am saying loud and clear that we will not allow Pakistan to run its agenda in Jammu and Kashmir,” thundered PM Modi while addressing his second poll rally in Jammu’s Katra.

PM Modi also launched a blistering attack on the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance in the poll-bound territory and slammed it for sharing a ‘common agenda’ with the Pakistani establishment.

Taking note of Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement on Article 370, PM Modi said that admiration of the Congress-NC manifesto by the neighbouring country “exposes their unholy” alliance.

PM Modi said that the BJP would never allow such a thing to happen.

“Pakistani Defence minister said that the agenda of the Congress-NC alliance on Article 370 and 35A is the same as that of Pakistan. Congress and NC stand exposed today with the Pakistani minister openly expressing support for their poll promises on Article 370. This means that the NC-Congress alliance wants to impose Pakistan's agenda in Kashmir,” PM Modi told the gathering.

“The BJP will never allow their agenda to succeed,” he said.

PM Modi accused the Congress and NC of “working against India’s interests”, despite knowing that Pakistani infiltrators inflicted deep wounds on residents of J&K.

“Pakistan’s wicked and nefarious plots killed our brothers and sisters but they want to align with them. For decades, they have been doing the same thing that their Pakistani bosses wanted them to do,” he said.

He also said that for the BJP, the nation is first and foremost and it will always go the whole hog in defending the country's frontiers and punishing the country's enemies.

Earlier in the day, Home Minister Amit Shah came down heavily on the NC-Congress alliance over its demand for restoration of Article 370, thereby giving a handle to Pakistani elements to ‘influence’ the poll process.

“Pak minister’s statement again makes it clear that Congress and Pakistan have the same intentions and agenda. For the last few years, Rahul Gandhi has been standing with every anti-India force, hurting the sentiments of the countrymen,” he said.