Party to discuss CM’s youth counselling proposal: Shah

Kolkata, April 26

BJP president Amit Shah today said his party would deliberate upon Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s proposal for counselling youths caught in the vortex of violence in the state.

“Mehboobaji has given a press statement. Our party’s team which deals with the policies on Kashmir will sit together and discuss the issue,” Shah said during a press conference here, while referring to the CM’s proposal to counsel youths.

Asked about his party’s stand on the issue, Shah said: “The team, after discussing the issue, will come to me and then we will take a decision,” he said.

The worsening security situation in Kashmir was discussed at a high-level meeting in Srinagar on Tuesday. At the meeting, Mehbooba directed the forces to exercise restraint and advocated a “healing touch” towards “our own youth” caught in the cycle of violence.

Advocating counselling sessions for youth, Mehbooba said it would not only help allay their fears and misgivings about the system, but would also give the security agencies a chance to reach out to people through community policing.

Chairing a meeting of the Unified Headquarters on Tuesday, Mehbooba said youth engagement should be prioritised rather than viewing it as a routine law and order problem and said care should be taken to avoid and minimise all collateral damages while conducting security operations.

Speaking on the Maoist attack at Sukma in Chhattisgarh on Monday that claimed the lives of 26 CRPF personnel, Shah said: “Violence can be answered with development only. The BJP believes in ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka vikas’.”

“As far as the Naxals and Maoists are concerned, the BJP-ruled state governments and the Central government will take strict steps to bring them to book,” the BJP president said.

Asked if the Central government’s premise that demonetisation would help curb terrorism and Naxalite activities had taken a hit following the recent attack in Sukma, Shah said: “One incident does not go on to prove that a policy is wrong. The morale of the Naxalites is very low and they are a broken lot now.”

“Ultra-left extremism flourished during the Congress rule. The BJP-led government at the Centre and in various states has broken their backs,” he said. — PTI