National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Thursday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the release of terrorists in exchange for Rubaiya Sayeed in 1989 and Indian Airlines plane in Afghanistan in 1999 are responsible for the growth of terrorism in the region.

Abdullah made his statement in a reply to PM Modi’s speech in an election rally at Srinagar earlier in the day accusing the National Conference (NC), Congress and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for destruction of Jammu and Kashmir.

The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said the people should be thankful that the NC was there in 1947 at the time of Partition otherwise the Muslim-majority State would have become a part of Pakistan.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of an election rally in Udhampur East in support of the party candidate Sunil Verma, the NC president also opposed the ‘One Nation, One Election’ plan of the BJP-led government and accused the party of spreading hatred in the country.

On being asked about the statement of the Prime Minister in Srinagar accusing the three families – NC, Congress and PDP – for destroying Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah said who released hardcore terrorists at Kandahar, Afghanistan in December 1999 in exchange for the hijacked 814 Indian Airlines plane and for abducted Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of the then Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in 1989. Rubaiya is the sister of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.

“Who put pressure when I told them that don’t do it (release the terrorists in both cases)? The same terrorists who were released then are running terrorism in J&K from Pakistan. I had told at that time that they will be responsible for our destruction but nobody listened and now they are blaming us – Congress and NC,” Abdullah said.

The NC president said the people should be thankful that the NC was there in J&K during partition. “Had we not been there, J&K would have become a part of Pakistan because it was a Muslim-majority State. Instead, we preferred the path of Gandhi-Nehru to become part of India where all of its citizens — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Buddhists — are equals.”

Abdullah said they are claiming that terrorism is over but the ground situation shows that it has increased in otherwise peaceful Jammu region.

Reacting to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s unfortunate to refer to Gyanvapi as a mosque since it is an embodiment of Lord Vishwanath himself remarks, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday said Adityanath is dividing the society for his vested political interest and he does not respect the court.

Speaking to PTI, the Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson Abbas Haidar said, “It seems that Adityanath does not give respect to the court. The matter is pending in the court. It is unfortunate that the Chief Minister has taken the oath of the Constitution, but it seems he is not giving due respect to the court.

The Samajwadi Party slammed the Chief Minister over his remark even as the BJP and some saints of Ayodhya rallied around in his support.

“For his vested political interests, he is dividing the society. The mandate given by the public to the BJP also indicates that they have not spoken on issues related to people,” Haidar alleged.

While inaugurating an international seminar on “Contribution of Nath Panth in Building a Harmonious Society” at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University,  Adityanath made these remarks and also highlighted the spiritual significance of Kashi and the revered site of Gyanvapi.

“It is unfortunate that some people refer to Gyanvapi as a mosque while it is the embodiment of Lord Vishwanath himself,” he said, and also made a detailed reference to legendary sage Adi Shankar, narrating an anecdote about his encounter with Lord Vishwanath in Kashi.

The Gyanvapi issue has been at the Centre of a long-drawn legal battle with the Hindu side arguing that the Gyanvapi mosque was allegedly built on the remains of a pre-existing temple, while the Muslim side has contested the claim.

UP BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla told PTI, “Historic, archaeological and spiritual evidence categorically indicate that Gyanvapi is a temple.”

Mahant of Ayodhya’s Hanumangarhi temple Raju Das said, “It is only the unfortunate people who are calling Gyanvapi a mosque. It is itself Vishwanath, and a temple of Kashi Vishwanath. Even if a blind person puts his or her hand over the structure, he or she would get a feeling of all the symbols of ‘Sanatan’.

Asserting that the BJP government will be the only one to restore full statehood status to Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed Opposition saying his government projected new leadership to counter dynastic politics that has destroyed this beautiful region.

“BJP government will also be the one to restore full statehood status to Jammu & Kashmir,” Modi said.

Addressing an election rally in J&K’s Doda, PM Modi retorted sharply at rival parties and said that the upcoming Assembly election in the Union Territory is going to be held between three dynasties and the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The three dynasties of Congress, National Conference and PDP will be standing against the aspirational youth of Jammu and Kashmir,” PM Modi attacked the Opposition.

“Not only this, dynastic politics made this beautiful region hollow from within. The political parties you trusted never cared for your children. They only cared for and projected their children and did not let new leadership grow,” PM Modi added.

Hitting out at Congress, PM Modi reminded the time when the grand old party ruled the country and said, “An undeclared curfew used to be imposed here as the day ended,” adding, “The situation was such that even the Home Minister of the Congress government at the Centre was afraid of going to Lal Chowk.”

“Terrorism is taking its breath in Jammu and Kashmir now,” the Prime Minister said.

Continuing his attack on Opposition, Modi said the youth of Jammu and Kashmir have been suffering from terrorism and the parties promoting ‘pariwarwad’ were having fun by misleading them. “These people have never allowed new leaders to emerge anywhere in J&K. You also know that panchayat elections were not held here after 2000,” he added.

Emphasising the need for better education, PM Modi said he wants every child in Jammu and Kashmir to have access to good education. Over the past few years, the BJP govt has inaugurated various schools and colleges in J&K for the betterment of the youth, adding that the long-standing demand for a medical college in Doda was also fulfilled recently by the BJP govt.

Under the ‘Pandit Premnath Dogra Rozgar Yojana’, Modi promised lakhs of new employment opportunities to be created if the BJP government is formed in the UT. PM Modi added, “The youth going to college here will also be given a travelling allowance. BJP is going to make such a J&K that will be terror-free and will be a paradise for tourists.”

Furthermore, he said people of Ramban district, Doda Kishtwar and Kashmir Valley can reach Delhi directly by train as his government will fulfil “this dream of J&K people. He added that soon the work of the railway line going from Delhi to Srinagar via Ramban will be completed.

During the rally, he also said, “It is our resolve to provide better education and better treatment to the poorest of the poor families. J&K is the state of the country where every family gets free treatment up to Rs 5 lakhs.”

“J&K BJP has announced to provide free treatment up to Rs 7 lakh to every poor family. The eldest woman of the family has also announced to deposit of Rs 18,000 every year in the bank account of the eldest woman of the family. Till now, the farmers of J&K were getting Rs 6,000 under PM Samman Nidhi. Now the BJP has announced to increase it to Rs. 10,000,” PM Modi said.