Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said day is not far when the Assembly polls will be held in Jammu and Kashmir and statehood restored.
“The time is not far when the Assembly polls will be held in Jammu and Kashmir and its statehood resorted. You will again raise your issues with your legislators and ministers,” PM Modi said while addressing a poll rally in Udhampur in support of party candidate and Union MoS PMO Dr Jitendra Singh.
He said all the issues of every section of the society in Jammu and Kashmir will be resolved quickly.
He revealed his vision of carving out a vibrant picture of a new Jammu and Kashmir and said people are saying a lot has been done in the region.
“You have seen the worst, so this looks like a lot to you. You feel good to see development. But Modi thinks bigger. Modi has a great vision. Whatever has happened till now is just a trailer,” the PM said.
He said ongoing road and rain track construction projects will be completed at a fast pace.
“Companies and factories from across the country and outside will come to Jammu and Kashmir. New railway, tunnel and road projects are coming up. A record number of tourists are coming to Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
“This is the first time when there is no fear of terrorism, separatism, stone pelting, cross-border firing and bandhs in elections. Jammu and Kashmir has to become a start-up hub,” he said.
The PM said a “peaceful day” in the erstwhile state would have made headlines in newspapers in the past. “That situation has changed in Jammu and Kashmir. Vikas bhi ho raha hai, vishvaas bhi badh raha hai (progress and trust are both on the rise). This election is not just to elect a member of Parliament but to elect a strong government. You all know what a strong government can do”.
The erstwhile J&K state was split into two Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in 2019 and brought under central rule after Parliament scrapped Article 370.
The PM challenged the Opposition especially the Congress, to bring back Article 370 which gave special status to the former state.
“Please trust me, I will get rid of the problems that have plagued Jammu and Kashmir for the past 60 years,” Modi said.
Taking a dig at Congress, NC and PDP, he said, “The Congress and INDI alliance do not care about the sentiments of the majority of the people in the country. They enjoy playing with them instead… Congress says Ram Mandir is an election issue for the BJP. I want to tell you that Ram Mandir was never an election issue, nor will it ever be. The struggle for Ram temple was going on even before the birth of the BJP… When foreign invaders destroyed our temples, the people of India fought to save their religious places. The leaders of Congress and its allies lived in big bungalows but when it came to improving the tent of Ram Lalla, they turned their backs.”
“Congress, NC and PDP wanted to take J&K back to the old days. No one has caused as much damage to Jammu and Kashmir as these family-run parties. Here the political party is of the family, by the family and for the family,” he said.