Preparations have begun for J&K Assembly polls, says PM Narendra Modi

Rs 1,500 cr developmental, Rs 1,800 cr agri projects inaugurated in Srinagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Srinagar on Thursday that preparations to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have begun, and that the day is near when statehood will be restored to the Union Territory.

Addressing an event in the evening — after inaugurating 84 developmental projects worth Rs 1,500 crore and Rs 1,800 crore worth of agriculture sector-related projects in Srinagar — Modi also said the Centre has taken "a serious note" of the recent terror attacks in the UT. He added that the Union Home Minister has reviewed the security situation and people inimical to the interests of J&K will get a befitting reply. Recalling the "uncertainty" of the 1990s, the PM said the 2024 election results have conveyed a message of stability.

Modi, who landed in Srinagar on Thursday afternoon, will lead the International Day of Yoga celebrations at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre on Friday. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to hold J&K assembly elections in September.

In the context of the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir — Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag — registering record turnout in the recently concluded parliamentary polls, Modi recalled former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's doctrine of "Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and Kashmiriyat" (humanity, democracy and sanctity of Kashmiri people). “You have ensured the triumph of jamhuriyat in these elections by breaking a 40-year-old (voter turnout) record," the PM said. He credited J&K's youth for the high voter turnout. "I have come here to personally thank you for keeping the flag of jamhuriyat aloft," he said.

Modi lamented that the Opposition has "disappointed" the country by failing to acknowledge the changes in J&K, which he said were the result of ten years of work by his government. The PM said the wall of Article 370 had collapsed, and the benefits of the Indian Constitution have now accrued to the people of J&K. "Today, the Indian Constitution has truly been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir," he said. Parliament repealed Article 370, which granted special status to J&K, in August 2019.

The PM detailed the infrastructure projects taken up in J&K in the last few years, including setting up of educational institutions. He said 20 million tourists visited J&K last year. Modi said he is committed to the betterment of J&K and to bridge the distances whether of “dil (heart) or from Dilli (Delhi)”.

Talking about his government's return and he being elected PM for a third successive term, Modi said India is currently witnessing an era where people's aspirations are at an all-time high, leading to increased expectations. He said such an aspirational society rarely gives a government a second chance. An aspirational society rates performance as the key parameter for re-election, and no amount of social media push or speeches can help unless people see the results. He said people have reposed their trust in his government again, which is a clear stamp of approval of its policies and intent.

The PM said the 2024 election results have conveyed a message of stability. He recalled that in one decade in the past, India witnessed five Lok Sabha polls (in 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 1999). It was India's time to take off but “we remained grounded because of the political uncertainty”, the PM said.