On a day when galaxy of Union Ministers wrapped up their week-long Jammu and Kashmir outreach program, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) organized a mega youth convention in Srinagar in a bid to garner support for Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).Top BJP leader Avinash Rai Khanna while appreciating the participation of youth in the convention stated that not all youth of Kashmir are ‘misguided’ and majority are ready to join the mainstream as evident today.According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Khanna’s assertions came after nearly three dozen well-qualified youth some of them with PhD degrees joined BJP.“Today, tall claims of the opposition have fallen flat that youth were against BJP. I am happy to welcome dozens of highly qualified Kashmiri youth in BJP. They are our future,” Khanna said speaking at the convention held at Tagore hall here. The convention was organized by Bhartiya Janata Party Yuwa Morcha (BJYM) president Er Aijaz Hussain.Long queues of youth willing to participate in the convention could be seen outside the Tagore hall. They were frisked and later allowed entry inside. “Opposition parties used to say that Kashmiri youth are angry and are treading other path to resist Centre’s policies. Let me clarify that not all Kashmiri youth are misguided. Dozens are ready to join mainstream and make politics as their career as evident today,” he said.Khanna, who is the national vice-president of BJP and J&K affairs in-charge, said that opposition parties were running a malicious campaign in Kashmir that post abrogation of Article 370, Valley youth will resist and pick up gun to fight against Government of India. “But it has been almost four months since Article 370 was scrapped, nothing of that sort happened here. Though some youth may be misguided but their number is very less compared to those who are here today ready to join BJP,” he said.
He said that BJP was committed to serve J&K and Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) was one of the fresh moves by Government of India in that direction. “Today, there are pla-cards and banners all around this place that display slogans—Kashmir stands with CAA. This law is not against any religion, cast or creed as projected the opposition parties,” Khanna said as per KNO.Speaking on the occasion, BJYM president Er Hussain said that Kashmiri youth are ready to make mainstream as their career as seen today. “Kashmiri youth yearn for change and want development and prosperity in the region that bore the brunt of three-decades of perpetual strife,” Hussain said. “I am glad to see well-qualified youth full of enthusiasm ready to join BJP and move forward on the path of development.”He said there is a country-wide atmosphere for peace and development and Kashmir is on the right track post Article 370 abrogation. “Today’s youth convention is a glaring example that what majority of Kashmiri youth stand for,” Er Hussain said.Meanwhile, at least 36 Union Ministers who were on a visit to J&K as part of BJP’s outreach program, concluded their sojourn after travelling to remote areas of the UT. They inaugurated a volley of developmental projects during their week-long stay in J&K and interacted with the various segments of society to get their feedback on Centre’s future policies and prevailing atmosphere in Kashmir post Article 370 abrogation. (KNO)