Reiterates Statehood Restoration But Gives No Timeline; Targets NC, PDP, Congress

Katra (J&K): Asking people to cast their votes wisely in the ongoing Assembly polls that are “linked to the future of Jammu and Kashmir”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the voters should ensure the sunset of the politics practised by the Congress, NC and PDP, which have “inflicted wounds” in the region for years together.
Addressing a poll rally in Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, Modi also accused the Congress leadership of insulting Hindu gods and goddesses under a “well-thought-out conspiracy” and due to a “Naxal mindset”.
This was the second rally addressed by the prime minister in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday and third in a week. He addressed another rally in Srinagar earlier in the day. On September 14, Modi had addressed a rally in Doda district.
The prime minister reiterated that his government will restore statehood in Jammu and Kashmir and also asserted that terrorism and separatism, which have weakened after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, will be completely wiped out from the region.
“This election is for choosing the future of Jammu and Kashmir. This election is meant to take the new Jammu and Kashmir to new heights of development,” he said.
“The three families of the Congress, NC and PDP inflicted wounds on the people here for years together. We have to ensure the sunset of their politics by pressing the button next to lotus, the BJP’s poll symbol. It is the BJP that has prioritised your interests and ended the decades-old discrimination against the region,” the prime minister said, giving the slogan “Abki baar, BJP sarkar”.
Modi’s rallies in Srinagar and Katra came a day after the first phase of polling in the Assembly election, covering 24 constituencies in seven south Kashmir districts and the Chenab valley region, and registering more than 61 per cent voting.
Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, the prime minister alleged that for some votes, the opposition party is capable of putting “our faith and culture” at stake.
“This is a place that has links to our faith and identity, so you should vote for a government that honours and takes forward our faith and culture,” he said.
Referring to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to the United States, Modi said, “What does the heir of the Congress say on foreign land? You might have heard him saying that our devi, devtas are not gods. There is a tradition of praying to devi, devtas in our villages. We are believers. But these Congress people say they are not gods. Are you satisfied with his words? Is this not an insult to our gods? Should they not be punished for this?”
He alleged that Congress leaders say such things intentionally.
“This is a well-thought-out conspiracy. This is a Naxal thought and ideas imported from other religions and countries. Today, the Congress is under the influence of this Naxal ideology and you should be cautious of it,” Modi said.
With such “Naxal ideology”, he claimed that Congress leaders have attacked the Dogra tradition by levelling baseless allegations on Dogra rulers.
“The Congress is the largest corrupt family in the country and this family is the birthplace of corruption and its nourisher,” he said, claiming that the opposition party is accusing the family of the Dogra rulers of being “corrupt”.
Referring to Gandhi’s campaign against hatred, Modi said in the name of “mohabbat ki dukan”, Congress leaders are selling the merchandise of hate.
“This is their old strategy. They do not see beyond their vote bank. That is why they widened the gap between the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir for decades and discriminated against Jammu,” he said.
The prime minister said the BJP honoured the last Dogra ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, by announcing a holiday on his birth anniversary and “we connected Jammu with the path of development”.
“Modi is working day and night for the development of Jammu and Kashmir, whereas they (the Congress and the National Conference) never did any good for youngsters and destroyed their future. Not only Kashmir, the fire caused by them burned Jammu as well, while the country’s enemies sitting across the border benefitted from it,” he said.
The prime minister also paid tributes to Vijay Kumar, the driver of a bus that was attacked by terrorists in Reasi on June 9, resulting in the killing of nine people, including seven pilgrims returning from Shiv Khori.
“During the cowardly attack on pilgrims some months ago, Kumar gave his life to save the pilgrims. Such an action inspires us,” he said, adding that terrorism and separatism have weakened in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
“Jammu and Kashmir is moving towards peace and development. With your support, the region will be completely free from terrorism,” Modi said.
He said the BJP’s manifesto for the Jammu and Kashmir polls has promised a “white paper” on terrorism to provide justice to terror victims.
“The divisive politics of the Congress, NC, PDP led to the suffering of our Kashmiri Hindus and Sikhs. Our manifesto also carries special announcements to ensure a better future for them,” the prime minister said.
On restoration of statehood, Modi said, “From the foothills of Vaishno Devi, I am promising that statehood will be returned to Jammu and Kashmir. Not that I am saying this at a poll rally, but we have announced this in Parliament.”

‘NC, Cong Following Pak Agenda, ‘No force can bring back Article 370’
Srinagar: As long as the BJP is in power, no force can bring back Article 370 or Article 35A, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said while as he referred to Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif’s comments, saying it suggest that the National Conference (NC) and the Congress are following Pakistan’s agenda in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif claimed that Pakistan agrees with the NC-Congress alliance on Article 370 and Article 35A,” he said while addressing a rally in Katra, Jammu. This was his second rally of the day, following a large gathering in Srinagar.
Modi reiterated that Article 370 and Article 35A are gone forever, and no power can bring them back as long as the BJP is in power.
The prime minister reaffirmed the BJP’s commitment to restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, as already promised in Parliament.
He accused the Congress of defaming Maharaja Hari Singh. While the Congress left no stone unturned to defame the Maharaja, the BJP honored him by declaring a holiday on his birthday.
Modi criticised the NC-Congress for treating the Reasi-Kathua region unfairly. “You expressed faith in me, and I gave you the world’s highest rail bridge over the Chenab, which is several feet higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris,” he said.
He also noted that the BJP government launched the Vande Bharat Express train from Delhi to Katra, and more facilities have been added to the railway stations in Katra and Reasi.
He said the hydel power projects such as Pakal Dul, Rattley, Kiru, and Kawar are under construction. Modi added that these projects will generate electricity and will provide employment to the youth of Jammu.
“A medical college has been established in Udhampur, and a district hospital has been completed in Reasi district,” he said.
Modi highlighted that over 95 lakh devotees visited the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. “In the coming years, a record number of tourists are expected to visit the region, which will boost livelihood opportunities for the people,” he said.
Attacking the Abdullahs, Muftis, and Gandhis, the prime minister accused these parties of allowing water to flow across the border. “They couldn’t construct a dam at Shahpur Kandi,” he said. “The BJP built the dam to provide water to hundreds of farmers.”
Modi claimed that the Congress promotes “Naxal thinking” and urged caution. “Under this Naxal thinking, Congress attacked the Dogra community in Jammu,” he said, accusing the Congress of spreading corruption nationwide and attacking Dogra heritage.
Modi said the Congress spreads “hatred under the guise of love” and urged people to vote against the three political families in large numbers on September 25.

‘NC, Cong Allowed India’s Waters To Flow Across Border’
Katra (J&K): Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress and the National Conference (NC) on Thursday for “allowing” India’s waters to flow across the border for seven decades and showing no nerve to construct dams for the utilisation of the resource that would have benefitted Jammu and Kashmir’s farmers.
Addressing an election rally in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in this newly-created Assembly segment of Mata Vaishno Devi, Modi said his government is continuously improving road connectivity in the region to tap the full tourism potential of the area.
“The governments run by the NC and Congress allowed our waters to flow across the border. They never dared to construct a big dam here. The Shahpur Kandi dam project remained untouched for years and as a result, thousands of hectares of land in Jammu became lifeless,” he said.
He said if a BJP government was not formed at the Centre, the distressed farmers of Kathua and Samba districts would not have got a new lease of life with the Shahpur Kandi dam.
“Work on four hydro-power projects — Pakal Dul, Kiru, Ratle and Kwar — is going on at a rapid pace. This will not only benefit the region by improving power availability but also provide employment to youngsters,” the prime minister said.
Accusing the NC and the Congress of meting out stepmotherly treatment to Reasi and Udhampur districts, he said a railway bridge over the Chenab river was proposed by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government but the two parties kept the file buried.
“You handed over the work to Modi and the BJP and we not only completed it but made it an attraction for people,” Modi said, referring to the 1.3-km Chenab rail bridge located 359 metres above the riverbed (35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris) that forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal, part of the ongoing prestigious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project.
“This bridge, higher than the Eiffel Tower, brought the region in global focus,” he said, adding that the government sanctioned a Vande Bharat train to Katra immediately after the project was rolled out.
“Today, two such trains are running between Delhi and Katra. The condition of the Katra and Reasi railway stations was poor but both have been modernised with new facilities,” Modi said.
Road and rail connectivity has been improved to give an impetus to tourism, he said while pointing out that two crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir last year, besides the 95 lakh pilgrims who paid obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine.
“The arrival of the tourists and pilgrims benefitted small businessmen, fruit vendors and farmers. We will further boost tourism in the region with the completion of various projects like the Devika and Tawi riverfronts,” Modi said.
He also mentioned the youngest Indian Paralympic medallists — Sheetal and Rakesh — and said Katra played a big role in their success story.
“They made the country proud after training here with the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi. Plenty of opportunities are available here and it is Modi’s promise that those will be utilised to the fullest,” the prime minister said.
He also talked about the Delhi-Katra expressway and under-construction roads and railway tunnels, and said once these projects are completed, connectivity will be improved further, benefitting all sections of the society, especially farmers and horticulturists.
Seeking support of the people for his party, the prime minister said Jammu and Kashmir will be taken to new heights of development. (AGENCIES)

Agencies