Amit Shah arrives in Jammu on three-day J-K tour, holds meeting with BJP MLAs

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who reached Jammu on Sunday to commence his three-day Jammu and Kashmir tour, held a closed-door meeting with BJP MLAs and office-bearers.

This is Shah's first visit to the Union Territory after the formation of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government in October. The visit also holds significance in the wake of a massive anti-terrorist operation currently underway in Kathua district.

Shah, who landed in Jammu around 6:50 pm, was received by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union minister Jitendra Singh, and other BJP leaders, including its Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Sat Sharma and national general secretary in-charge Jammu and Kashmir Tarun Chugh.

Former state chief Ravinder Raina and ex-deputy chief ministers Kavinder Gupta and Nirmal Singh were also present.

Shah was escorted to the Raj Bhavan and later visited the BJP headquarters at Trikuta Nagar to chair a meeting of party MLAs and other office-bearers, officials said.

The meeting, which started around 8:30 pm, continued for nearly two hours.

"Shah received feedback from the legislators on the challenges posed by drug trafficking and concerns on the security front. He guided the legislators on the strategy to counter the National Conference, which wants to confuse the Muslim society on the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act, the abrogated Article 370 and statehood issues," Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma said after the meeting.

The home minister also guided the legislators on the strategy to counter the Union Territory government's "anti-people policies" within and outside the assembly, he added.

Raina said Shah was highly appreciative of BJP workers for the landslide victories of party candidates in the Jammu region in the assembly election and asked them to work to further strengthen the organisation across the Union Territory.

The BJP bagged a record 29 seats in the Jammu region.

During his trip, Shah will visit a forward post along the India-Pakistan border and review the security situation and development initiatives.

Shah's visit to the BJP headquarters coincided with the party's foundation day, which was celebrated by workers and leaders with great fervour earlier in the day.

Police and security forces have been put on high alert for Shah's visit, the officials said.

On Monday, Shah will visit the Border Security Force's (BSF) 'Vinay' outpost in Kathua and assess the ground situation.

A massive search operation has been underway in the forested areas of Kathua since March 23 after the police and other security forces intercepted five terrorists who had infiltrated from across the International Border in the Hiranagar sector.

Four policemen and two terrorists were killed in a fierce gunfight on March 27.

Shah is also scheduled to meet the family members of the martyrs of the Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Raj Bhavan in Jammu on Monday and hand over appointment letters to some of them selected on compassionate grounds.

On Tuesday, Shah will first take stock of various development programmes in a meeting at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.

He will then attend another meeting to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the officials said.

Earlier in the day, BJP state chief Sat Sharma hoisted the party flag at the headquarters in presence of senior leaders, including MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, former deputy chief minister Gupta, and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma.

Party flags were also hoisted at all organisational district headquarters, BJP offices, and on rooftops of homes of workers across Jammu and Kashmir to mark the BJP's foundation day, a spokesperson said.