Reiterating the commitment of his party to restore statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that assembly elections will be held very soon in this part of the country.
Speaking at the rally at Udhampur town in support of party candidate Dr. Jitendra Singh the Prime Minister said that he has a vision for a better Jammu and Kashmir, where people would have a say in how their state is run.
"The time is not far when Assembly Elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir will get the status of statehood. You will be able to share your dreams with your MLA and your ministers", he said.
"Be it Jammu or Kashmir, now a record number of tourists and devotees have started coming here. Many generations here have seen this dream and I guarantee you that your dream is Modi's resolve. To fulfill your dreams, every moment will be in your name and in the name of the country", he said.
Ram temple was not an election issue, nor will it be
The Prime Minister said that now Jammu and Kashmir will be known for startups. Jammu and Kashmir has to move forward with this resolution. He stressed that the Ram temple was never an election issue.
"Ram Lalla's tent kept leaking in the rain. Devotees of Ram Lalla used to make rounds of the courts. This was an attack on the faith of crores of people who have faith in Ram Lalla", he said.
"People can never forget three things. Ram temple was constructed after 500 years. This work has been done by the decision of the court. This grand Ram temple is not from the government treasury. It was made with donations from the citizens of the country", he said.
"Now schools are not burnt, but decorated"
The Prime Minister said that earlier schools were burnt in Kashmir, but now schools are decorated. The Prime Minister said that after the removal of Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir is breathing freely.
He said that the election is not just to elect MPs, but this election is to form a strong government in the country. "And when the government is strong, it works even amidst challenges on the ground, defying the challenges", he said.
Launching a scathing attack on opposition parties, the Prime Minister criticized these parties for promoting dynasty politics.
"Political parties in J&K means 'of the family, for the family, by the family'. These parties had created such a wall of Article 370 for power that a person from another state could not come here", he said.
"At the same time, such an illusion was spread among the people that their lives would be saved only as long as Article 370 remains in place. But with the support and blessings of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, we demolished the wall of Article 370 and buried its debris in the ground", he said.
"I challenge any political party in the country including Congress to declare and show that they will bring back Article 370, then this country will not even look at them", he said.
