Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the abrogation of Article 370 offered a "breath of fresh air" to the region and "freed the people from the chains" imposed by the regional parties.
Addressing a rally at the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar, his first Kashmir visit after the 370 abrogation, PM Modi said that for decades Congress and its allies “misled the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the entire nation on Article 370”.
“Did the Article 370 benefit the people of J&K or selected families? People have understood the fact that they had been misled. For selected families, they had been entangled in chains. Today [Article] 370 is not there, so the aspirations of the youth of J&K are being fulfilled and they are getting new opportunities. There are equal rights and opportunities for all,” he said.
“Pakistani refugees and the Valmiki community had no voting rights. They, too, have got their rights today,” he said. "This is the new Jammu and Kashmir we have been waiting for thousands of years. This is the J&K for which Syama Prasad Mukherjee sacrificed his life. Modi will leave no stone unturned to return this love. This is Modi's guarantee, a guarantee of fulfilling guarantees," he said.
“Jammu and Kashmir is India's forehead. There was a time when Indian laws were not implemented here and the downtrodden were not benefited by the Centre's welfare schemes. The tide has turned. Today, welfare schemes for the whole country are being launched from Kashmir,” he said.
PM Modi also switched to campaign mode for his party the BJP. “Lotuses are seen in every lake here. The J&K Cricket Association also has a lotus (in the logo). Call it a coincidence or nature's message that the lotus is also the BJP's party symbol. So Jammu and Kashmir has a deep relation with the lotus," he said.
Farooq Abdullah's party calls Modi's Speech 'worn-out rhetoric'
General Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Ali Muhammad Sagar, termed Prime Minister Modi's address as "disappointing" and accused him of delivering the same "worn-out rhetoric."
"It's the same worn-out rhetoric that Jammu and Kashmir has been hearing for the past five years, yet there's still a lack of confidence in holding elections," he said in a statement.
Sagar highlighted the "unmet expectations" of the people, who were eagerly awaiting announcements on crucial issues such as statehood, the promise of a democratically elected government by September, job packages for the unemployed, relief from the power crisis, and major development projects. However, according to Sagar, none of these expectations were addressed, and instead, the audience was presented with recycled projects.
He also raised concerns about the alleged coercion of employees to attend the function, including reports of ill employees, including pregnant women, being required to attend without exception. He characterized the Prime Minister's speech as consisting mainly of "juggling numbers and rebranding old projects," offering nothing substantial for the people.
Earlier in the day, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti also alleged that the administration had forced government employees to attend the Modi event.
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