No Need to Capture PoK by Force; Its People Will Themselves Want to Join India: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the freewheeling interview harped on some other crucial aspects such as the controversy surrounding the Congress's allegation of the Centre's move to change the Constitution, reservation issues, theatrisation of tri services, Navy's successful operations to assist merchant ships in strategic sea lanes, border talks with China and few other issues.

New Delhi:India will never give up its claim on Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) but it won't have to capture it with force because its people, on their own, would want to be part of India after seeing the development in Kashmir, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, Singh asserted that the ground situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir and that a time will come when AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) will no longer be required in the Union Territory.

The defence minister, however, said the matter is under the domain of the Union Home Ministry and it will take appropriate decisions. He said elections will also be held there definitely, but wouldn't give a timeline.

"I think India will not have to do anything. The way the ground situation has changed in Jammu and Kashmir, the way the region is witnessing economic progress and the way peace has returned there, I think demands will emerge from people of PoK that they should merge with India," he said.

"We will not have to use force to take PoK as people would say that we must be merged with India. Such demands are now coming," he said. The defence minister asserted that "PoK was, is, and will remain ours".

Citing improvement in the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said assembly elections will be held there soon, but did not give a timeline.

"The way the situation is improving in Jammu and Kashmir, I think a time will come when AFSPA will no longer be required there. It is my view and it is for the Home Ministry to decide on it," he said.

The AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations and arrest anyone without any prior warrant. It also gives immunity to the forces if they shoot someone dead.

The defence minister, referring to Pakistan's proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir, said Islamabad must stop cross border terrorism. "They are trying to destabilise India and we will not allow it to happen," he said.

The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

The relations further deteriorated after India on August 5, 2019 announced the withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories.

India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.

Rajnath Singh during the freewheeling interview dwelt on several other aspects such as the controversy raked up by Congress over the Centre's move to change the Constitution, reservation issues, threatrisation of tri services, Navy's successful operations to assist merchant ships in strategic sea lanes, border talks with China and few other vital issues.

'BJP govt will never change Preamble of Constitution, reservation to stay'

The BJP government will never change the Constitution or end reservation, Singh said, accusing the Congress of creating "fear psychosis" and resorting to spreading misinformation for "vote bank" politics.

Singh blasted the Congress for spreading "canards" that the BJP will change the Constitution if it returns to power and especially asserted that there was no question of changing the Preamble of the Constitution.

His assurance that the Preamble will not be changed addresses concerns among critics that the word 'secular' to describe India could be removed by the BJP.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been alleging that the BJP will "tear up and throw away" the Constitution if it retains power. Some other Congress functionaries had expressed apprehensions that the BJP may drop the word "secularism" from the Preamble of the Constitution.

"The Congress brought constitutional amendments 80 times. They changed the Preamble during the Emergency," the defence minister said.

"The BJP will never change the Constitution. Constitution makers never imagined that there would be changes in the Preamble. You (Congress) only acted to hurt the core idea of the Constitution," he said.

'Navy performed miracle in strategic sea lanes'

The Indian Navy has performed a "miracle" (karishma), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said, heaping wholehearted praise for the force's numerous operations in foreign waters where it assisted several merchant ships commandeered or threatened by pirates.

The Navy has been making a strong pitch for having the second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-II) with a displacement of 45,000 tonnes which is estimated to cost close to Rs 40,000 crore with the envisaged specifications.

Exuding confidence of the National Democratic Alliance retaining power for a third straight term, he said the new government's focus would be to make India totally self-reliant in the defence sector.

Singh said India's annual defence exports crossed Rs 21,000 crore mark for the first time in 2023-24 and that his ministry has set a target of increasing it to Rs 50,000 crore in the next five-six years.

"We will take it to more than Rs 50,000 crore by 2029-30," he said. On Navy operations in the strategic waterways, Singh said the force deserves praise.

"The India Navy has done miracle. Congratulations to the Navy. (Indian Navy ne Karishma kiya. Nav ko Badhai)," he said.

'Talks with China going on well'

As the military standoff between India and China drags on along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, he said the talks between the two sides are going on well and indicated hope for a resolution of the lingering row.

"The talks are going on well," he said declining to elaborate further considering the sensitive nature of the dialogue process. Asked whether he was hopeful of a positive outcome and an end to the nearly four-year face-off between the two militaries, Singh shot back: "If there was no hope, then why to have talks."

"They (the Chinese side) also have hope and that is why holding the talks," he said. The Indian and Chinese militaries have been locked in a standoff since May 2020 and a full resolution of the border row has not yet been achieved though the two sides have disengaged from a number of friction points.

The defence minister also took a potshot at the Congress for continuously targeting the government on the eastern Ladakh standoff.

"They (Congress) are questioning the bravery of Indian soldiers ... who are you demoralising? What is your intention? I can also go back to 1962 as well," he said.

'Ex-Pak minister's praise of Rahul matter of grave concern'

Former Pakistani minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain's "praise" of Rahul Gandhi is a matter of "grave concern" and the Congress must explain the "deep love" for its leader from a country that always attempted to destabilise India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said.

"There must be a reason behind this deep love (agadh prem) from a country that has been trying to destabilise India. It is a matter of grave concern and India wants to know what is the reason behind this love," he said.

Chaudhry -- infamous for boasting about Pakistan's hand in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack -- had on May 1 posted on 'X' excerpts from a speech by Gandhi with the caption "Rahul on fire" that drew sharp criticism from BJP leaders.

"If a former minister of a country that has been attempting to destabilise India praises (Rahul), then it is a matter of concern. The Congress owes an explanation about its relationship with Pakistan," the defence minister said. Singh said the neighbouring country was attempting to influence the Indian elections.

'Cong playing with fire by attempting Hindu-Muslim divide'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has no fire while his party is playing with fire by attempting to create Hindu-Muslim divide for electoral dividends, Rajnath has said.

The defence minister also said that he was confident that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will cross 400 seats and the BJP will get over 370 as these projections were made after detailed assessment of the ground situation and not made only for public consumption. On the overall political landscape, the defence minister accused the Congress of attempting to disturb social harmony and trying to create tensions on religious lines.

"They are attempting to create Hindu-Muslim divide for electoral gains. The Congress is trying to create tensions on religious lines," he alleged. The Congress wants to disturb social harmony. They look at the Muslim community only as a vote bank. I have a suggestion for them -- politics should not be done only for forming governments. The aim of politics should be for nation building," he said.

"Rahul Gandhi has no fire but Congress is playing with fire," he said. Singh said people of the country will repose their faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP's tally will improve significantly based on the performance of the government in the last five years.

"Our seats will increase in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and we will get some seats in Tamil Nadu. Our account will open in Kerala as well. We are winning a good number of seats in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana," the senior BJP leader said.

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