"We consider them as our own...": Rajnath Singh urges PoK residents to join India

Ramban (Jammu & Kashmir) [India], September 8 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated on Saturday that unlike Pakistan, India considers the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as their own and urged them to join India.
He was addressing a public rally in the Ramban area of Jammu on Sunday, as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's campaign for the upcoming assembly polls in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
"I ask all of you to form a BJP government in J&K, and after seeing development in J&K, the people of PoK will say that we do not want to stay with Pakistan. We want to go with India," Singh said.
"People in Pakistan consider PoK people as foreigners, but India considers the people of PoK as our own. Come and join us, he added.
He also said that the Centre abrogated Article 370 for the prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir and said the BJP has not discriminated against the people of the Union Territory as claimed by the National Conference, People's Democratic Party, and Congress.
"We have never discriminated against anyone. Our Army is here. I want to ask you, do they discriminate? You people are fortunate; we have abrogated Article 370--we have done that for the prosperity and happiness of J&K. What did Article 370 give to you?"
He added, "Be it Congress, National Conference, or People's Democratic Party, they tell you that the BJP has discriminated against the people of J&K (by abrogating Article 370). I want to tell you, if we do anything wrong, condemn it publicly. We don't want your support by keeping you in the dark..."
He claimed that Jammu and Kashmir would become the number one state of India in case the BJP remained in power for ten years there.
"I say with confidence that if the BJP government runs here for 10 years, our Jammu and Kashmir will become the number one state of India... Our India, which was at the 11th place in the world in terms of the size of the economy, has reached the 5th place today. I am not saying this; the world's leading economists and big financial firms are now claiming that India is progressing at such a fast pace. By 2027, our India will stand in third place among the countries of the world in terms of the size of the economy," Rajnath Singh said.
"A few days ago, I was in the USA, and people of the Indian diaspora asked me what would happen in the Jammu and Kashmir elections. I said with full confidence that the BJP will form the government in J&K with a clear majority," he added.
Polling in the erstwhile state would be held in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.
The National Conference and the Congress have forged a pre-poll alliance days ahead of the polls.
There are a total number of 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 7 seats are reserved for SCs and 9 seats are reserved for STs.
According to the Election Commission of India, Jammu and Kashmir has 88.06 lakh eligible electors. These are the first assembly elections to be held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.
In the previous Assembly elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12.