“J&K will also get statehood back”
STATE TIMES NEWS
Udhampur : Asserting that the time is not far when the Assembly polls will be held in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the people of the Union Territory will soon be able to share their issues with ministers and legislators.
The prime minister said the development projects undertaken by the BJP-led Centre in the erstwhile state are just a “trailer”, adding that he has to work for the creation of a fabulous picture of a new Jammu and Kashmir in the days to come.
He said Jammu and Kashmir has completely changed and the biggest thing is that there has been a change of heart as people have moved from disappointments towards hope.
“The time is not far when the Assembly polls will be held in Jammu and Kashmir, which will also get its statehood back. You will again raise your issues with your legislators and ministers,” Modi told a rally organised here to garner support for Union minister Jitendra Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Udhampur in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
‘Ram temple wasn’t and will never be election issue’
Udhampur : In a scathing attack on the INDIA opposition bloc for claiming that the Ram temple in Ayodhya is a “poll plank” for the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said it is a matter of faith for the people of the country.
He compared the mindset of the Congress and its allies with that of the Mughals, who he said used to derive pleasure from vandalising temples, and accused them of teasing the majority community by displaying videos of consuming meat during the month of Sawan to consolidate their vote banks.
“You must have seen how the Congress hates the Ram temple. The Congress and its entire ecosystem start screaming if there is even a reference to the temple. They say the Ram temple is an election issue for the BJP. It was never an election issue and will never be an election issue,” the prime minister said at a mega public rally here in Jammu and Kashmir.
Modi pointed out that the Ram temple movement started when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not even born. “It was an issue at a time when the British were yet to come. It is a 500-year-old matter when there was no thought of elections,” he said.
Taking a dig at the Congress for declining the invitation to the consecration ceremony of the temple, Mod i said, “What kind of an election game was it that you declined the invite to this holy function? It is an election issue for the Congress and the INDIA bloc, whereas it is a matter of devotion and faith for the country’s people,” he added.
The prime minister said the temple was a victory of tolerance.
“It was a victory after a long wait of 500 years. When foreign invaders vandalised temples, the people of India fought to protect their religious places.
They faced the worst situations for protecting their faith,” he said. Taking a dig at the leaders of the Congress and its allies, who he said were living in huge bungalows when Ram Lalla was living in a tent, Modi said people used to run from pillar to post to get the tent changed during rains, only to be threatened with court cases. “This was an assault on the faith of crores of people who considered Ram as the prime deity for worship. We had told these people that one day, Ram will return to his temple. Do not forget three things — one, this is a reality now after 500 years of fighting. Do you agree? Secondly, it has been done through a full process of the judiciary. It has been vetted by a court judgment and its justice delivery system. Thirdly, the people of India have contributed every penny for the construction of the temple, not the government,” he said.
Modi said the trustees of the temple, after forgiving the opposition leaders for the sins committed by them against those batting for the shrine, invited them by going to their houses, but “they declined the invitation”.
“I want to ask the Congress that when you were speaking against it day in and day out, as part of which election issue were you doing so? Every devotee of Lord Ram has seen your arrogance when you ignored the biggest event to which crores of people were attached,” the prime minister said.
He claimed that declining the invitation was the election game plan of these parties. “What type of compulsion was this that you said Ram was imaginary? Which vote bank were you catering to? The Congress and the INDIA bloc do not care about the majority of the country’s people. They feel happy to insult their feelings,” Modi said.
Referring to some leaders consuming meat in the month of Sawan and making its video viral, Modi said, “In the month of Sawan, they went to the house of a person who was handed a punishment by a court and is on bail and cherished the taste of mutton. They made a video of it to tease the people of the country.”
“During the month of Sawan, a person who was convicted, who is on bail, someone went to this kind of a criminal…. During Sawan, they enjoyed eating mutton. Not just this, they made a video and worked to tease the people of India,” he said, referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s house.
Modi said neither any law nor him prevents anyone from eating anything.
“Everyone is free to eat vegetarian or non-vegetarian food. But they had different intentions. The Mughals used to get satisfaction by vandalising temples, not by defeating kings. They used to derive pleasure out of it.
“Likewise, they tease the people of the country by releasing such videos in the month of Sawan and consolidate their vote banks,” the prime minister alleged.
He said during Navratri, eating non-vegetarian food and highlighting it hurt the feelings of people.
“These people will resort to abusing me and targeting me for saying this. But when it is beyond the point of tolerance, it is my duty in a democracy to tell the right things to people. That is my job. I am fulfilling my duty,” he said.
Modi accused these leaders of deliberately indulging in such acts “so that a big section of people gets annoyed”.
“They have a Mughal mindset. They do not know that when the public gives a fitting reply, the princes of big dynasties get sidelined. Dynastic parties and corruption-ridden people should not be given opportunities,” he said.
The prime minister asserted that “all the issues of every section of the society” in Jammu and Kashmir will be resolved.
He revealed his vision of carving out a vibrant picture of a new Jammu and Kashmir and said people are saying a lot has been done in the region.
“You have seen the worst, so this looks like a lot to you. You feel good to see development. But Modi thinks bigger. Modi has a great vision. Whatever has happened till now is just a trailer,” the prime minister said.
He added that the ongoing road and tunnel construction projects will be completed at a fast pace. “Companies and factories from across the country and outside will come to Jammu and Kashmir. New railway, tunnel and road projects are coming up. A record number of tourists are coming to Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Jammu and Kashmir has to become a start-up hub, the prime minister said.
He said this new phase is becoming the destiny of Jammu and Kashmir.
“This dream has been seen by several generations. I give you the guarantee that your dream is my resolution. Every moment of fulfilling your dream is dedicated to you. These efforts will be in the name of India. It will change the destiny of Jammu and Kashmir,” Modi said.
He said his government will work round the clock to realise the dream of “Viksit Bharat 2047”.
“This is the guarantee of Modi. In the last 10 years, we have cracked down on terrorism and corruption in the region. In the next five years, we will take this region to new heights of development and progress,” the prime minister said.
He asserted that Jammu and Kashmir has completely changed in the last 10 years.
“The condition of roads, electricity, water and infrastructure has changed. But the biggest thing is that there is a change of heart in Jammu and Kashmir. People have moved from disappointments towards hope,” Modi said.
The prime minister said he had come to pay obeisance to Vaishno Devi and also have a “darshan” of the people of the region. “Those living with the Mata’s blessings are revered for me,” he said.