Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav hinted that while Jammu and Kashmir will regain its statehood, there are conditions attached to the process. In an interview with NDTV, Madhav, who previously oversaw the Union Territory, emphasized that the BJP remains committed to restoring statehood, stating, “We have committed to this on the floor of the House.” However, when pressed for a specific timeline, he offered a more cautious perspective.Madhav highlighted the significant changes in Jammu and Kashmir over the last 5 to 10 years, pointing out that the region has moved beyond its “terror-based identity” and is now relatively peaceful in terms of separatism. “Even Jamaat has joined the electoral process,” he told NDTV, calling it a major achievement. He stressed that assurances are needed from the region’s leadership to ensure that separatist tendencies do not return. “Those in power in the state should be reassuring the people in Delhi that they won’t bring those tendencies back into this region. Then full statehood is possible.”Addressing concerns around national security, Madhav referenced some political groups calling for the release of terrorists and the restoration of Article 370. “If they go to the assembly with that kind of attitude… how to release terrorists and separatists… that becomes problematic for larger national security issues,” he explained. Nonetheless, he reiterated the BJP’s stance that statehood should be granted “sooner rather than later.”
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