SRINAGAR: A day after the first phase of polling in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the youth here have found confidence in democracy again and are feeling that their vote can bring change, which is the first step towards their empowerment.
Addressing an election rally in support of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium here which go to polls on September 25, Modi said the BJP will fulfil its promise of restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
“The youth of my Jammu and Kashmir is no more helpless. They are becoming empowered under the Modi government. I am happy that the J&K BJP has also made huge announcements for the employment of youth. Be it their skill development or providing jobs without manipulation, the BJP will do all these,” he said.
Attacking the Congress, National Conference, and PDP, Modi said these three parties and families have “trampled” democracy and ‘Kashmiryat’ for their own benefits.
“Do you remember what they did in the 1980s? They treated Jammu and Kashmir’s politics as their own fiefdom. They did not want anyone except their families to come forward? Otherwise, why did they stop the Panchayat, DDC and BDC elections?
“They knew it would bring new faces who would challenge their family rule. What was the damage as a result of their selfishness? The youth kept losing faith in democracy. They felt whether they vote or not, only these three families will come to power,” he said. The PM said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has vastly changed over the last five years which has restored the confidence of youth in a democratic process.
He also paid tribute to Jammu and Kashmir’s first Muslim IAS officer Mohammad Shafi Pandit, who died earlier in the day.
Pandit, who retired as chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission in 2009, died at a Delhi hospital while undergoing treatment for cancer.
Addressing another election rally in Katra in Jammu region which is the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine, he asked the people to cast their votes wisely in the ongoing Assembly polls that are “linked to the future of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Modi 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.
Modi accused the Congress leadership of insulting Hindu gods and goddesses under a “well-thought-out conspiracy” and due to a “Naxal mindset”.
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. with agency inputs