(PTI)
In a statement that may ruffle many feathers, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday asserted that the abrogation of Article 370 has given people of other states a “licence” to own property in Jammu and Kashmir. The firebrand BJP leader made comments to the effect at rallies he addressed in Jamui, Tarari and Paliganj assembly constituencies of Bihar.
“Earlier, a person from this part of Bihar could not even think of owning property in Kashmir. The Congress had put such a system in place. But Narendra Modi and Amit Shah changed all that. Article 370 has been scrapped and the people now have a license to purchase and own property in any part of Kashmir, he said.
The remarks come at a time when there have been vociferous demands for ensuring that jobs and property in Jammu and Kashmir, downgraded from a state and split into two Union Territories, be reserved for locals. Yogi also remarked mockingly that Pakistan could no longer think of sponsoring terrorism for fear of surgical strikes.
People from this part of the country, desirous of visiting Kashmir, may rest assured. Anybody who casts a malevolent glance at them will have bullets pierced between their two eyes, said the seer-politician, evoking a thunderous applause. Yogi also took potshots at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, both of whom have questioned the revocation of special status to Kashmir.
