In his first ever rally in Srinagar after the abrogation of Article 370, Prime Minister Modi made every attempt to connect to the people and reach out to them with New Delhi’s positive attitude towards the bright future of Jammu and Kashmir which was lost in the darkness of terrorism and separatism for past many decades. Interestingly, PM Modi didn’t beat around the bush and spoke openly.
While making his address he referred to Jammu and Kashmir as the head of the country, a smart statement showing significance of the UT by drawing parallel to the geographical location. During his rally, PM Modi left no stone unturned to convey the brighter side of abrogation of Article 370 with plethora of promises for upcoming years, reinforcing his announcements with his Modi sanz, Kashmiri word for his famous “Modi ki guarantee” claim.
Clearly after the abrogation of Article 370, New Delhi got an opportunity to fill the gap between J&K and rest of India that persisted because of those constitutional limitations. Regrettably, these limitations, which were presented in front of the common Indian in J&K as something as a safeguard for them, yielded benefit for the political and socio-religious leaders only, while leaving them in dismay and devastation.
As the Prime Minister emphasized, “Jammu and Kashmir has been the biggest victim of dynastic politics since independence. Congress misguided the nation about Article 370 but who did it benefit? Did it benefit the people of Jammu and Kashmir or a few political families?”
All this hard work to win your hearts: PM in Srinagar
The speech of the Prime Minister appropriated accolades from across the people present there as the speech seemed more like a dialogue to win the hearts of the people that PM Modi also mentioned. He said, “I am doing all this hard work to win your hearts and I believe that I am on the right path. I will continue my efforts to win your hearts.”
Evidently, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been misguided in the name of freedom for almost seven decades and in the meantime all they got is the realm of terror, separatism which gulped their entire generation. Resultantly, many people who have seen that era of lawlessness and cruelty find it easy to extend faith in central government but at the same time it also cannot be outrightly denied that scepticism persists in some parts of the masses.
But PM Modi reaching out to Srinagar and addressing a rally with huge influx of people shows that this scepticism is low and manageable, and people are ready to listen to any voice that has the potential to take them on the path of development. And that is why he stood in the heart of Kashmir and resolutely hailed the abrogation of Article 370 in front of the people who were affected by it. Therefore, his rally makes it evident that his government has so far succeeded in making a strong impact on the hearts of people. Additionally, the government is continuously working to eradicate the people-to-people detachment that had widened because of the bane of Article 370.
PM’s optimistic posturing through his statement “140 crore citizens feel at peace when they see the smiling faces of the people of Jammu and Kashmir” resonates that fact.
Recognising agriculture & tourism
It is conspicuous that while the government is working to make changes to the mindset of people it knows that it could only be done when a common Indian sitting in some remote village of valley would get opportunities of better life. And so it is infusing capital as investments so that J&K could make pro-development strides.
Recognising the potential of the UT in tourism and agriculture, PM made various announcements and appeals. He announced significant projects totalling nearly Rs 5,000 crore to boost the agricultural sector.
Similarly, for promoting tourism industry PM asked the tourists coming to J&K to spend 10% of their spendings on shopping so that it could contribute to employment generation. He also encouraged NRI’s to participate in ‘Chalo India’ initiative which would help the tourism industry in Jammu and Kashmir.
The initiatives like ‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice Tourist Destination Poll’ and the “Chalo India Global Diaspora” campaign were also unveiled. Notably, the boost to the J&K tourism comes at a time when J&K has witnessed record breaking footfall in 2023 with more than two crore tourists.
Hence, the government of India’s approach towards Jammu and Kashmir that resonated in PM Modi’s Srinagar rally could potentially deliver some of the most significant outcomes that could lead the UT to the fore front of development, growth, tourism and agricultural advancement.