Prime Minister Narendra Modi has challenged the Congress to dare say that it will restore and bring back Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir. People will have contempt for the Congress and other opposition parties if they mention doing so in their speeches. Terrorism, separatism, and stone which were all an everyday affair in J&K are no more election issues here, he stressed.
Modi was addressing a well-attended public rally at Udhampur in which he sought votes for his party candidate Dr Jitendra Singh. Modi said that the people would not cast a glance towards the Congress if it talked of bringing back Article 370. Various political parties of the state, including the Congress, had created a barrier of Article 370 between J&K and other parts of the country, he said.
आर्टिकल 370 हटने के बाद जम्मू-कश्मीर खुलकर सांस ले रहा है। उधमपुर में आशीर्वाद देने आए मेरे परिवारजनों को मोदी की गारंटी है कि अगले 5 वर्षों में यह क्षेत्र विकास की नई ऊंचाइयों को छुएगा।https://t.co/DT7fnryK1J
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 12, 2024
There were enthusiastic workers who had come to the rally from far-off places and started their journey at 5 am in the morning. Muneera Begum had come all the way from Kokernag (Anantnag district) to hear Modi speak. She had also taken part in the Srinagar rally addressed by Modi on March 7 at Bakshi Stadium. “Aaj Modi ji ke aanay se hum BJP walon ki Eid ho gayi,’’ she said, adding his energy is infectious as he is able to galvanise workers in a big way.
The BJP is one party which demolished this barrier and it was committed to all-round development of J&K, Modi said. “Political parties here want to take J&K back to those dark days when they ruled the roost. For these parties, the politics in Jammu & Kashmir meant of the party, by the party and for the party. However, the Modi government has demolished that barrier for ever,’’ he said.
Today, the Congress, the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders go outside J&K and speak to people there as to how many benefits they have got because of demolition of Article 370. “Ask the women what benefits they have got as they got their rights enshrined in the Constitution. Ask Dalits and Valmikis who were not given any rights but abrogation of Article 370 has empowered them,’’ Modi added.
Touching upon Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, Modi said it is not an electoral issue for the BJP as it predates the birth of the party by centuries. The issue of the construction of a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya existed even before the British rule started in the country, going back to at least five centuries, he said. The Congress gets jittery on the mention of the Ram temple but it is a matter of faith that has triumphed, he added.
Mocking at previous governments, Modi said the peaceful conduct of the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage or the Amarnath pilgrimage was touted as an achievement by them. “When the Amarnath yatra passed off peacefully one day, the challenge before the people was to ensure that it was conducted peacefully the next day also,’’ he said, adding, “In the last 10 years of his government, noose has been tightened around the necks of terrorists, separatists and secessionists so much so that these pilgrimages are run smoothly these days.’’
Statehood will get restored to J&K soon and there will be assembly elections too, Modi said in his speech. The people will be able to talk to the MLAs they elect and discuss their aspirations with the ministers that assume office. The work on the construction of roads and railways in J&K will get a fillip in the days to come.
Improved infrastructure will bring in big investments from outside and start-ups will get a boost here, Modi said. “My government wants to ensure that development takes a lead role in the next five years,’’ he assured the people.
Since 2014, when the BJP assumed office, terrorism and separatism have been dented and no longer electoral issues in J&K, he pointed out. He also mentioned many initiatives the BJP government has taken to ameliorate the lot of the ordinary masses.
Keywords: Article 370, Terrorism, Separatism, Ram temple, Statehood for J&K, Assembly elections.
