UDHAMPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday assured that the Centre is committed to restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir adding that assembly elections will also be held soon. “The time is not far when assembly elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir also. Jammu and Kashmir will get back its state status. You will be able to share your dreams with your MLAs, and your ministers,” PM Modi said while addressing a public rally in Udhampur. The Prime Minister said that whatever he has done so far is only serves as a trailer of the work that he is yet to do in the region. He pointed out that now after decades, elections were taking place in Jammu and Kashmir without fear of terrorism and cross border firing. “Vikas bhi ho raha hai, vishvaas bhi badh raha hai” (there is progress and confidence), the Prime Minister said. The state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized into a union territory in October 2019. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 was passed in 2019, and Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated. The central government had in August 2019 abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two Union Territories (UTs), Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The upcoming general election, said the Prime Minister is “not just to elect a member of Parliament but to form a strong government in the country. When the government is strong, it completes by challenging the challenges…” Underscoring the latest development witness in Jammu and Kashmir, PM Modi said, “Now schools are not burnt here, but schools are decorated. Now AIIMS, IITs and IIMs are being built here. Now modern tunnels, modern wide roads, and wonderful rail journeys are becoming the destiny of Jammu and Kashmir.” “Be it Jammu or Kashmir, now tourists and devotees have started coming here in record numbers,” PM Modi said. The Prime Minister said that in the last decade, Jammu and Kashmir have completely changed as roads, electricity, water, travel, and migration, all are available. “In the 10 years, we have tightened the noose around terrorists and corrupt people. Now in the coming five years, this area has to be taken to new heights of development. Within 10 years, Jammu and Kashmir has completely changed. Roads, electricity, water, travel, migration, all these are there. But the biggest thing is that the mind of Jammu and Kashmir has changed,” he said. The PM said, “Trust me, I had told you to trust me and I will solve the problems plaguing Jammu and Kashmir for the last 60 years. I had guaranteed respect for the mothers and sisters here. I gave a guarantee that the poor would not have to worry about two meals a day. Today lakhs of families of Jammu and Kashmir have the guarantee of free ration for the next 5 years…” The BJP has fielded Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh from Udhampur who has been representing the constituency since 2014. Singh had defeated former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad from Udhampur in 2014. The Congress has fielded Choudhary Lal Singh from Udhampur. The Congress took Lal Singh back into its fold six years after he was forced to resign following his participation in a rally held in support of the Kathua rape accused, in which a child was raped. The Peoples Democratic Party, partner in the INDIA bloc, has extended their support to Lal Singh. Udhampur will vote in the first phase on April 19. The BJP had won three out of six seats in Jammu and Kashmir in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The National Conference won the remaining three seats.
