Jammu, September 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the upcoming assembly elections are a fight between the three dynastic parties and the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that while the BJP talks about a progressive, peaceful Jammu and Kashmir state, their (dynastic party’s) manifesto guarantees return of terrorism, separatism and scrapping of reservation as they follow deceptive politics to take Jammu and Kashmir state back to regressive times.
Even statehood can be granted only by a BJP government, he maintained.
“On one side are three families and on the other side are the daughters and sons of Jammu and Kashmir with youthful energy, aspirations and dreams of a better future in their eyes. These three families lead the Congress, NCP and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) respectively. What these three families have done to you is nothing short of a crime. These three families have destroyed the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the last few decades,” PM Modi said at a massive rally at Doda Stadium.
This was his first campaign rally for the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections and was aimed at creating a blitzkrieg effect for the BJP’s election campaign in the Chenab Valley, where polls will be held in the first phase.
Union Minister and Jammu and Kashmir State Election In-charge Kishan G Reddy, BJP National General Secretary and Jammu and Kashmir State Affairs In-charge Tarun Chugh, Jammu and Kashmir State Election In-charge Ram Madhav and Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and MP Doda-Udhampur-Kathua Dr Jitendra Singh accompanied the Prime Minister on the dais.
In a scathing attack on the trio (Congress, NC Party and PDP), he said: “They foster corruption, encourage land grabbing gangs and make you suffer even for basic amenities. Government jobs are given only to favourites of these three families. This trio has provided fertile ground for the spread of separatism and terrorism.”
He said this would ultimately only benefit the enemies of the state.
“They (the trio) have been promoting terrorism only to ensure that their shops continue to thrive and make billions and even trillions of wealth. Their (dynastic parties) sins have cost us thousands of young people. This Chanderbagh (Chenab) valley has silently witnessed years of death and destruction. One only has to recall those days when an unannounced curfew would be imposed at dusk here (Chenab Valley), bringing all shops and commercial establishments to a standstill,” he recalled.
Changing Jammu and Kashmir: From the fear of Sind to the present day era of declining terrorism
The Prime Minister once again criticised the Congress, his party’s most hated party, and even referred to a recent statement by former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to confirm his point about the dismal security situation a decade or two ago.
“The situation has reached a point where even the home minister during the Congress (UPA) rule did not dare to visit Lal Maidan (Srinagar). But now terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is moribund. The transformation that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed in the last decade is nothing short of a dream. The stones that were used to hit the police and army are now being used to build a new Jammu and Kashmir,” PM Modi said.
The BJP is determined to keep its word
Assuring that the revolutionary changes were brought by the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not by Modi, the Prime Minister said the Jammu and Kashmir BJP took the resolution for the welfare of the people with its faith and belief in the party.
“Today, we pay tributes to Pandit Tikka Lal Tapuru who was killed by terrorists more than 30 years ago, the day that started the unending atrocities against Kashmiri Pandits (KP). It was the BJP that raised its voice in support of Kashmiri Pandits and worked for their interests,” he said, welcoming the announcement of the scheme named after Tapuru by the Jammu and Kashmir BJP for the return and restoration of normalcy of Kashmiri Hindus.
“This will speed up the process of rehabilitating the disenfranchised Kashmiri Hindus. The BJP is also determined to release a white paper to ensure justice to all victims of terrorism. The BJP is a party that does not make false and empty promises. The BJP has a record of doing what it says,” he said.
SHAGUN PARIHAR describes BJP’s determination to end terrorism
PM Modi said the party’s candidate from Kishtwar, Shagun Parihar, was a victim of terrorism. “Her father and uncle were killed by terrorists. The BJP gave her the nomination. She is not just a candidate but a living example of the party’s (BJP’s) firm resolve to wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The political parties that rule Jammu and Kashmir have done nothing for the people there.
“You have to fight, protest and face police batons to get even small demands like schools, roads, water tanks met. Medical colleges and engineering colleges are too grand. Think why you are being deprived of all this. The political party you trusted and voted to power never considered you as their own. They just used you as a stepping stone or ladder to power. But Modi cares about your future and your children’s future,” he said.
He said that he wanted to see progress for all children and youth of Jammu and Kashmir and hence his government was committed to opening many schools, colleges including professional colleges. PM Modi said his government has built Doda Medical College which was something that people had been waiting for for decades.
“Now, students in Jammu and Kashmir do not have to go outside for higher or professional education as the government has set up All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Management, etc. besides medical and engineering colleges. The Jammu and Kashmir BJP has also announced Pandit Prem Nath Dogra Rozgar Yojana (employment scheme) to create new job opportunities. If the Jammu and Kashmir BJP government comes to power, it will also provide travel subsidies to young people. Once the (Jammu and Kashmir) BJP government comes to power, it will work towards making Jammu and Kashmir ‘terrorism-free’ and make it a paradise for tourists,” Prime Minister Modi assured.
2024 Assembly elections will decide the fate of Jammu and Kashmir
Elaborating on the importance of the assembly elections, the Prime Minister said, “The assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will decide its fate. Immediately after independence, our beloved Jammu and Kashmir became the target of foreign powers. Then, dynastic rule began to hollow out our beautiful state of Jammu and Kashmir. After that, the political parties you trusted no longer cared about your children. They (political parties) only cared about the interest of their own children. Terrorism harmed the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, while these political parties promoted dynastic rule and continued to enjoy power and wealth by deceiving you (people of Jammu and Kashmir).
He claimed that the dynastic rulers of Jammu and Kashmir never allowed young leaders to grow. He reminded that no Panchayat elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir after 2000, while elections to BDCs (Block Development Committees) and District Development Committees (DDCs) were never held. “For decades, dynastic rule did not allow talented youth of Jammu and Kashmir to lead and develop. That is why after coming to power in 2014, I tried to make young people of Jammu and Kashmir the new leaders. In 2018, Panchayat elections were held, followed by BDC elections in 2019,” he said.
“In 2020, the local assembly elections were held here for the first time with an aim to take democracy to the grassroots level in Jammu and Kashmir so that young leaders could come forward and take over the democratic power here. This was my effort and we challenged these dynastic parties, which never wanted the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to enter politics, and foiled their evil plots. The result was that after the local assembly elections, 30,000-35,000 young leaders came into politics in Jammu and Kashmir and took over the power in the state,” PM Modi said.
“Jammu and Kashmir has entered a new era of development in the last few years, thanks to new young leaders. I salute the courage and determination of the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, be it sons or daughters, who are full of energy,” he said.
He said the new ‘Film Policy’ has been framed to restore the enviable status of Jammu and Kashmir as a favourite destination for filmmakers from across India and abroad. It is gratifying that tourism is booming in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the opening of new hotels and restaurants in different parts of the Union Territory, including Bhaderwa, he said.
Referring to the Chenani-Nashri tunnel and the Banihal-Qazigund tunnel, the Prime Minister said the government is also working on improving connectivity by building new roads, bridges and flyovers.
Earlier, it took about five hours to travel from Jammu to Banihal and six to eight hours from Jammu to Srinagar. “Now it will take just three hours to travel from Jammu to Banihal and five hours to Srinagar. We are also working on enhancing rail connectivity. Soon, trains will reach Srinagar from Delhi via Banihal. Trial runs of trains have been started to realise the dream of ‘From Kashmir to Kanyakumari’. Our aim is to achieve comprehensive development of Jammu and Kashmir and benefit the people,” PM Modi said while citing the ‘Sankalps’ (resolutions) mentioned by the BJP in its manifesto.
Speaking about the welfare measures for farmers in Jammu and Kashmir, he mentioned the “Purple Revolution” in the Chenab Valley.
First, the Prime Minister inquired about the smooth progress of the mass rally in the local dialect and paid respects to local deities Machail Mata and Sarthal Mata.
“You have travelled a long way from different places of Doda, Kishwar and Ramban to be here for this rally but you (people) have not shown any sign of exhaustion. Instead, I see jubilant faces all around. I see many mothers, sisters and daughters blessing us here. I am overwhelmed with emotion and grateful for this. I promise that you will return the love and blessings two to three times by working harder for you and the country. All of us – you and I, will work together for a secure and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir, this is Modi’s assurance,” he said.
All eight party candidates from three districts of Chenab Valley, namely Daleep Singh Parihar of Badhwar in Doda district, Gajay Singh Rana of Doda and Shakti Parihar of Doda West, Sunil Sharma of Pader Nagsaini in Kishtwar district, Shagun Parihar of Kishtwar and Tariq Keen of Indwar, and Salim Bhat and Rakesh Singh Thakur of Banihal in Ramban constituency in Ramban district, also shared the podium with the Prime Minister.
All eight constituencies in Chenab Valley of Jammu region will hold elections in the first phase
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir BJP general secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul and new Jammu and Kashmir BJP working president Sat Sharma congratulated the Prime Minister by gifting him a shawl.
Sat Sharma hopes that the party will win all eight seats in the sub-region.
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