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NEW DELHI: Calling the restoration of Jammu & Kashmir’s statehood a “solemn promise“, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with the news agency PTI, said that his government has been “working very hard to create the right conditions” to revoke the Union Territory status.
“The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it.We are working very hard to create the right conditions so that it can be done expeditiously,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi also called the record turnout in Srinagar one of the “most gratifying things” he has witnessed in his tenure.
He said the voting percentage in Srinagar, once a hotbed for all kinds of radical elements, witnessed the highest voter turnout in decades. Srinagar recorded a 36.7 per cent turnout — the highest since 1996 –in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 13.
The Prime Minister, who is seeking a third straight term in the ongoing parliamentary polls, claimed people in Jammu and Kashmir have seen the NDA government’s commitment to democracy enhancement in the region, “even at the cost of us sacrificing power for ourselves”.
“The progress that Jammu and Kashmir has made in the last five years gives me immense hope that we are on the right path to restore statehood. We want to institutionalise the positive changes that have taken place and make the gains irreversible so that the people of the region have to never ever witness the torrid years that generations had to bear,” said the PM.
On August 5, 2019, PM Modi-led central government scrapped the special status bestowed to Jammu & and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories — Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
PM Modi said Article 370 abrogation has led to the fulfilment of the dreams and aspirations of the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Through the abrogation of Article 370, we today have witnessed not just the dreams and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir coming into fruition but also their enthusiasm for participating in one of the biggest festivals in any democracy -elections,” Modi said.
PM says poll body to decide on assembly elections
When asked about holding assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir, PM Modi said the Supreme Court has set a date for assembly polls and that the Election Commission is the best organisation to assess when and how to hold polls.
Last year in December, the top court had directed the Election Commission to conduct elections in Jammu & Kashmir by September 30, 2024. The Union Territory, currently under Centre’s rule, witnessed the last assembly elections as the state in 2014.
PM Modi also highlighted the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict upholding the Constitutional validity of Article 370 abrogation.
“What the elections in Jammu and Kashmir have done in 2024 is to put a seal of explicit democratic approval as well – the final seal in the trinity of according approval to our historic decision,” PM Modi said.
“We want to create a Jammu and Kashmir where violence is history, prosperity is destiny. This is our long term strategy for Kashmir. Our aspiration is that Jammu and Kashmir regains its stature as the hub of culture, knowledge and tourism along with becoming a centre of futuristic technologies like AI (Artificial intelligence),” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
“The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it.We are working very hard to create the right conditions so that it can be done expeditiously,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi also called the record turnout in Srinagar one of the “most gratifying things” he has witnessed in his tenure.
He said the voting percentage in Srinagar, once a hotbed for all kinds of radical elements, witnessed the highest voter turnout in decades. Srinagar recorded a 36.7 per cent turnout — the highest since 1996 –in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 13.
The Prime Minister, who is seeking a third straight term in the ongoing parliamentary polls, claimed people in Jammu and Kashmir have seen the NDA government’s commitment to democracy enhancement in the region, “even at the cost of us sacrificing power for ourselves”.
“The progress that Jammu and Kashmir has made in the last five years gives me immense hope that we are on the right path to restore statehood. We want to institutionalise the positive changes that have taken place and make the gains irreversible so that the people of the region have to never ever witness the torrid years that generations had to bear,” said the PM.
On August 5, 2019, PM Modi-led central government scrapped the special status bestowed to Jammu & and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories — Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
PM Modi said Article 370 abrogation has led to the fulfilment of the dreams and aspirations of the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Through the abrogation of Article 370, we today have witnessed not just the dreams and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir coming into fruition but also their enthusiasm for participating in one of the biggest festivals in any democracy -elections,” Modi said.
PM says poll body to decide on assembly elections
When asked about holding assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir, PM Modi said the Supreme Court has set a date for assembly polls and that the Election Commission is the best organisation to assess when and how to hold polls.
Last year in December, the top court had directed the Election Commission to conduct elections in Jammu & Kashmir by September 30, 2024. The Union Territory, currently under Centre’s rule, witnessed the last assembly elections as the state in 2014.
PM Modi also highlighted the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict upholding the Constitutional validity of Article 370 abrogation.
“What the elections in Jammu and Kashmir have done in 2024 is to put a seal of explicit democratic approval as well – the final seal in the trinity of according approval to our historic decision,” PM Modi said.
“We want to create a Jammu and Kashmir where violence is history, prosperity is destiny. This is our long term strategy for Kashmir. Our aspiration is that Jammu and Kashmir regains its stature as the hub of culture, knowledge and tourism along with becoming a centre of futuristic technologies like AI (Artificial intelligence),” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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