Shristy Kamal, Pune
PM Modi visited the Kashmir Valley on Thursday for the first time since the BJP-led government scrapped its special status. During his visit, Modi inaugurated various development projects worth Rs 6,400 crore and addressed the crowd at the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar.
The BJP government scrapped the territory of its special status in 2019, splitting it into two territories that would be under direct rule from New Delhi- Ladakh—and Jammu and Kashmir. The decision angered significant militarized areas but was welcomed mostly across India.
While addressing the crowd in Srinagar, PM Modi attacked the Congress and said that the previous government misled the public about the new status. He also attacked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference (NC) without taking their names about Article 370.
Attacking the previous government, he said that they tried to almost tank the bank of Jammu and Kashmir by giving significant positions to their relatives, which led to its mismanagement. This in turn caused problems in the pockets of poor people. He said that under the current government, the profit has touched 1700 crore.
Talking about the abrogation of Article 370, he emphasized that the people of Kashmir are in prosperity and reaching great heights as the locals are able to breathe freely. He also called Kashmir his ‘Parivaar’. Mentioning Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, he said that this was the Kashmir that he sacrificed his life for, and over one lakh people came to attend the event. He also mentioned that many ministers and their families were affected by the decision.
Talking about his journey since 2014, he said that the people of India have entrusted him and have shown constant love and affection towards him. He inaugurated the ‘Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign’ and allocated 1400 crore for tourism under the Swadesh Darshan and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme. He also distributed around 1,000 employment letters. Promising to increase the number of cold storages and warehouses in Kashmir, he allocated 5000 crore in schemes for the farming sector. He also urged Indians to participate in the campaign “Wed in Kashmir.”