Return to Valley birthright of KPs: Jitendra Singh

Hitting out at those opposing the government's rehabilitation plan for Kashmiri Pandits, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said it was the birthright of the community to settle in the Valley and reiterated the Centre's commitment to their "honorable and safe return".

"Those who oppose the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley are spreading negativity, it is their birth as well as fundamental right to return to Kashmir Valley," Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh said at <g data-gr-id="32"><g data-gr-id="31">a a</g></g> function in <g data-gr-id="34">Chinore</g> area of Jammu on Sunday.

He said if Kashmiri Pandits, who are being denied their right to return, start raising questions on the people who oppose their rehabilitation then how would such leaders react.

"If the Kashmir Pandits living in various parts of the country start questioning these Kashmiri separatists and mainstream politicians... then how would these so called leaders react?" he asked.

He said that the central government was committed to honorable and safe return of the Kashmiri <g data-gr-id="22">Pandit</g> community to Kashmir Valley.

Meanwhile, highlighting the achievements of the Narendra Modi government, Singh said in one year India has achieved what it could not do in the past six decades.

"The success of schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana and other social security schemes is a glaring example of the success of the Narendra <g data-gr-id="24">Modi-led</g> government," he said.

He said despite being ideologically different, entering with an alliance with PDP was a compulsion for BJP to respect the mandate of the people who voted for development and good governance. "That does not mean that we have compromised with our core ideology, our ideology remains the same, and we strongly follow the footsteps of people like Shyama Prasad <g data-gr-id="35"><g data-gr-id="36">Mukharjee</g></g>" he said.