Jammu, Jan 14 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the BJP government at the Centre treats Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir equally. Addressing the ninth Armed Forces Veterans' Day programme at Tanda Artillery Brigade in Akhnoor, the Defence Minister praised Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his effort to reduce the distance between the hearts of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi and asserted that the BJP government treats Delhi and Kashmir equally.

"Kashmir was treated differently (by previous governments) in the past. As a result, our brothers and sisters in the region could not get connected with Delhi as it should have been. I do not want to go into the past as our government's biggest achievement is that we have been working to bridge 'Dil ki Doori' between Kashmir and the rest of the country. "I congratulate Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for taking the right steps to help overcome the little bit of gap, which is still there," Union Minister Singh said.

The Defence Minister also extended Makar Sankranti and New Year greetings to the veterans, and said, "The presence of veterans here today proves that we are treating Akhnoor or for that matter Kashmir the same way as Delhi in our hearts." Lauding veterans and war heroes, the Defence Minister made a special mention of Brigadier Usman, who fought the tribal invaders in 1947 and forced them to withdraw back. He criticised Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Prime Minister Chaudhary Anwarul Haq for his remarks against India and said that Jammu and Kashmir is incomplete without PoK.

The Union Minister, accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), was received by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and senior officers amid tight security. He inaugurated a heritage museum and hoisted a 108-foot-tall National Flag in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor border area. The museum showcases weapons used in various wars in Jammu and Kashmir and sculptures of war heroes.

/IANS