Amit Shah visits Jammu and Kashmir, visits Vaishno Devi, will lay foundation stones for development plans

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is in Jammu and Kashmir for a three-day visit. Amit Shah, who arrived here on Monday, reached the Vaishnodevi temple today i.e. on Tuesday, October 4, and took the blessings of the mother. The Home Minister reached the Sanjhi Chhat helipad of Katra on the 9th day of Navratri in the morning and after that he had darshan of Mata at Vaishnodevi temple. During this, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Jitendra Singh were also present with him. Amit Shah is addressing a public meeting in Rajouri. From here he gave many gifts to the states and laid the foundation of development works.

Earlier, Amit Shah arrived here on Monday evening and was received at the airport by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Jitendra Singh among others. The Home Minister plans to meet various delegations, including representatives of Gujjar, Bakarwal and Pahari communities, during his visit. Shah is scheduled to address two rallies. He will address another rally organized in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to them as part of the long-pending demand of the Pahari community living in these two areas.

Gujjars and Bakarwals have expressed their displeasure over the proposal to include the hills in the Scheduled Tribe category. There is a lot of enthusiasm in the hills in anticipation of a big announcement from the Home Minister, but Gujjar and Bakarwal communities have feared that this will weaken the ST status. Here thousands of college going students of Gurjar and Bakarwal community took out a peaceful march to protest the proposal to include Pahari speaking people in the Scheduled Tribe category. Recently, for the first time after the exercise of delimitation, 10 percent reservation has been given to the Scheduled Tribes in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Nine seats have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes, while seven are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC). Gujjars and Bakarwals have threatened to intensify the agitation on the grant of Scheduled Tribe status to the hills.