Plan of resorts in J&K a bid to build Modi govt's image: Cong

Hitting out at the Maharashtra government over its plan to set up two resorts in Srinagar and Ladakh, the Congress on Wednesday said the move is being made to build Modi government's image and justify its decision of abrogating Article 370.

Maharashtra minister Jaykumar Rawal on Tuesday said the state government plans to build two tourist resorts in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh's Leh.

The state government's decision to build the resorts through the Maharashtra Tourism development Corporation (MTDC) comes in the wake of the Centre last month abrogating provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the MTDC's resorts in the state itself were in poor condition and required more investment to attract tourism.

"At such a juncture, the money of Maharashtra's people is being used for building Modi government's image and justifying its Kashmir-related decision than ensuring interest of Maharashtra," Sawant said in a statement.

Sawant charged the BJP-Shiv Sena state government with acting at the behest of Modi regime over the past four-and- half years than in the interest of the state's people.

"Be it the efforts of shifting several government offices and industries to Gujarat from Maharashtra or the (Mumbai-Ahmedabad) bullet train project that will benefit Gujarat only... the Maharashtra government has bedeviled the state at the behest of the Modi government," he said.

Sawant said private investment was expected to be made in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.

But since no private investment is flowing into Kashmir, the Maharashtra government is being forced to do so, the Congress leader alleged.