Committed to J&K's development and peace with Pakistan: Nitin Gadkari

SRINAGAR: BJP today said it is committed to peace, prosperity and development in Jammu and Kashmir and wants peaceful relations with Pakistan after it comes to power at the Centre.

"We are committed to peace, progress and prosperity here. We want peace even with the neighbouring country (Pakistan)," BJP leader Nitin Gadkari told reporters here.

The former BJP president said priority would be given to the state's development and the party would not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, language and religion.

"We are very much committed for the progress and development of Jammu and Kashmir. We want to fight poverty, hunger and unemployment here... I assure you that we don't discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, language and religion and do not do politics on such issues," he said.

Gadkari said the Congress and other "so-called secular" parties were "creating" a fear that BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was against the minorities in the country for its political benefits.

"Unfortunately development and economic issues have never been the basis of politics here. As far as BJP and Modi are concerned, a fear is being created that we are against minority. It is the political game plan of the Congress party and the so-called secular parties.

"Justice will be done to everybody and everyone will get an opportunity of equal development and we will work with that in mind. We will give priority to the development of Jammu and Kashmir after BJP comes to power under Modi," he said.