‘Ensure sunset of 3 parties which inflicted wounds’
J&K will be completely free of terror, marching towards permanent peace
Statehood will be returned, we have said this in Parl
Sanjeev Pargal
KATRA, Sept 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today targeted Congress-National Conference alliance after it got the backing of Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif on restoration of Article 370 and 35 A saying the neighbouring country (Pakistan) is very enthusiastic about them and is having a great time (Balle Balle) over the tie-up of two parties.
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“Pakistan is very happy with the Congress-NC manifesto and has openly extended its support to them. Pakistan’s Defence Minister (Khwaja Asif) has supported the alliance (on abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A). He says their agenda is the same as that of Pakistan. Congress and NC want to implement Pakistan’s agenda in J&K,” Modi said addressing a massive rally here at Katra, the base camp of holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji, in Reasi district.
He held a road show in Katra town before reaching the rally venue
Modi had paid obeisance to Mata Vaishno Devi Ji before 2014 Parliamentary elections. Within days of becoming the Prime Minister, he again visited Katra and inaugurated Udhampur-Katra rail line. PM’s today’s rally at the holy town covered seven Assembly constituencies of Reasi and neighbouring Udhampur districts and all candidates were present at the dais.
Union Minister of State in the PMO Dr Jitendra Singh and BJP Lok Sabha Member from Jammu-Reasi seat Jugal Kishore Sharma were also present.
“Pakistan has exposed Congress and National Conference. These two parties want to impose agenda of Pakistan, which destroyed generations leading to bloodshed, here. For decades, Congress and National Conference did what suited the terror-promoter Pakistan,” the Prime Minister said and declared that he won’t allow Pakistan’s agenda to be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Prime Minister pointed out Pakistan’s open support for Congress and NC, and said, “Nobody talks about them here, but they are in high demand there. Pakistan is happy with their manifesto. Pakistan’s Defence Minister has openly supported the Congress and the National Conference.”
Cautioning the people against casting their vote to Congress, National Conference and PDP, he said these three parties are saying they will bring back Article 370 “which means they want to return old era of bloodshed”. He said these three parties can never do welfare of locals and charged them with burning not only Kashmir but Jammu region also.
Sending a clear message to Pakistan, he said, “Modi wants to convey to them in stern language that we will not allow Pakistan’s agenda to be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir. No power on Earth can bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“You (the people) should ensure sunset of the Congress, NC and PDP, which have inflicted wounds in the region for years together,” he said.
“Should they be not punished for this”? he asked the crowd which shouted `Yes”.
Modi declared Jammu and Kashmir will be completely free of terrorism. He said terrorism and separatism are getting weakened after abrogation of special status and J&K is marching towards permanent peace.
For BJP, he said, nothing is big than the country as our priority is development of the nation and you have to vote the BJP to power whose guarantees are implemented.
Referring to June 9 terror attack on Shiv Khori pilgrims (almost simultaneously at the time he was taking oath as the PM for third consecutive term), in Reasi district, Modi paid tribute to Vijay Kumar, driver of the bus who sacrificed his life and saved lives of many yatris.
He also mentioned Katra’s para-athletes who brought laurels to the country by winning medals in Paralympics.
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.”
Modi emphasised the BJP’s commitment to national development, urging voters to support a Government dedicated to this cause.
“For the BJP, there is nothing as big as the country. Our priority is the development of the country. You have to vote for a Government here that is committed to its promises,” he added.
“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, adding it is the BJP that has prioritised your interests and ended the decades-old discrimination against the region. He gave the slogan “Abki Baar, BJP Sarkar”.
Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Modi said 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.
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,” he added.
The Prime Minister said tourism is being expanded and it will get further boost in the region in the coming years. He pointed out that over two crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir last year. Ninety five lakh pilgrims also came to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji shrine benefiting the local traders and others engaged in facilitating the pilgrimage.
“Jammu and Patnitop have got ropeways. Tawi riverfront will be developed soon,” he said and also referred to GI tag given to Udhampur’s `kaladi’ and Basohli’s pashmina shawl saying these goods will be high in demand now.
Modi also referred to the issue of `baaridars’ saying so far Rs 9 crore worth scholarships have been given to their daughters for studies, Rs 3.5 crore as marriage assistance and assured that more steps will be taken for their welfare.
Modi also slammed the Congress and the National Conference (NC) 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.
He 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.
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.
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