Srinagar, Sep 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit the campaign trail for the Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir and addressed a mega poll rally for the BJP candidate in the Doda district on Saturday.
Tight security arrangements were put in place for PM Modi’s visit, which was the first in Doda in the last 42 years by any Prime Minister.
Addressing the gathering, he took on the Congress, PDP, and National Conference for their rule over several years and also drew a changing picture of Jammu and Kashmir in the last 10 years.
PM Modi, as per news agency—Kashmir Bulletin (KB), said that the government will make a prosperous Jammu and Kashmir, and this is “Modi Ki Guarantee”. “I will repay this love and blessings of yours by working twice and thrice as hard for you and the country.
Together we will build a safe and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir and this is Modi’s guarantee. The parties you put your faith in did not care about you. The youths of J-K got crushed by terrorism. And those parties kept enjoying by misleading you. They did not let the new leadership emerge in Jammu and Kashmir,” PM Modi said at the rally.
The Prime Minister slammed Congress, PDP and National Conference over corruption in their rule and said that they “prepared the necessary ground for separatism and terrorism” in Jammu and Kashmir over the years.
“The election is between the youths of J-K and three families. On one side are three families and the other side are the youths of J-K. One family is of Congress, other is of NC and the other is of PDP. What these three families have done to you is not lesser than any sin.
These three families prepared the necessary ground for separatism and terrorism here. Who benefitted from it? The enemies of the nation. They were harbouring terrorism so that their shops of millions continue to prosper,” he said.
The Prime Minister mentioned the remark by then Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s remark in which he said that he was scared to visit Lal Chowk and said, “There was a time when there used to be an undeclared curfew after evening. The situation was such that Union Home Minister used to be scared to visit Lal Chowk.”
PM Modi referred to changing situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the recent years and said that terrorism is at its last breath in Jammu and Kashmir. He also pointed to the changing scenario of stone pelting incidents and said that the time has arrived for the development of the region.
“Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is now breathing its last. The changes seen here in the last 10 years are nothing short of a dream. The stones that were once picked up to be thrown at the police and army are now being used to build a new Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
“These days they keep a book of Constitution in their pockets. Why are they doing this? They are doing so to hide their misdeeds. They had disrespected the soul of the Constitution. Why were there two Constitutions here? Why were Pahadi, SC, ST, and OBC, deprived of reservation? After so many generations, the BJP government has granted them reservation.
Today, there are many individuals who, for the first time, have received the right to vote. The Constitution of India grants everyone the right to vote. However, those who carried the Constitution in their pockets had deprived some of you of this right for 75 years,” PM Modi added.
The Prime Minister slammed Congress-PDP-NC over their manifesto and said that if their promises are implemented, Jammu and Kashmir will go back to the days when schools were put on fire, stone pelting was a daily affair.
“Congress, PDP and NC want to restore Article 370. That would mean that the three families will once again snatch the reservation of the Pahadis. If their manifestos are implemented, the schools will once again be burnt, children will have stones in hands, there will be strikes. They talk about Constitution.
‘’Ye nafrat ki dukaan pe mohabbat ki dukaan ka board laga kar ke ghumte hai,” he said.
PM Modi said that any resident of Jammu and Kashmir, regardless of his religion, region and cultural affiliation is a “priority for the BJP government”. “I guarantee to safeguard your rights. It’s only BJP that can reinforce statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The Jammu region has long been a BJP stronghold, with the party winning all 25 of its seats from this region in the 2014 Assembly polls in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The party is contesting all 43 Assembly seats in the Jammu division. In the last J&K Assembly.
Voting in the J-K Assembly elections will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8. This is the first Assembly election in J&K in 10 years, and the first since the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.— (KB)
