Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government has made a "solemn promise" for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and will stand by it, adding the Centre was working very hard to create the right conditions.
Noting that the record voter turnout in Srinagar is one of the "most gratifying things" he has seen in his tenure, Mr. Modi said people of 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 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," he told PTI in an exclusive interview in Bhubaneswar on May 19.
The Modi government had abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019 and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
"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," Mr. Modi said.
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%t turnout — the highest since 1996 — in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 13.
The world witnessed the growth and enthusiasm of the people in J and K when they welcomed the delegates from across the world during the G20 events, he added.
"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.
"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)," Mr. Modi said.
On holding Assembly elections in J and K, the Prime Minister said the Supreme Court has set a date for assembly polls in the region and the Election Commission is mandated to follow the directions of the highest court and it is the best organisation to assess as to when and how it will conduct assembly elections.
In December 2023, the apex court had directed the Election Commission to conduct elections in J and K by September 30, 2024.
Asked for his assessment on the high turnout in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in J and K after the abrogation of Article 370, Modi said Parliament had put its seal of approval on scrapping this provision in August 2019 and the people had given their implicit approval in 2019 itself and beyond by defying all doomsday predictions and helping maintain peace in the region.
Then in December 2023, he said, the Supreme Court imprinted the judicial seal on the abrogation with an unanimous verdict by a constitution bench.
"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," Modi said.
Mr. Modi said the BJP is perhaps the only party in the country which walked out of a government so that more power could be devolved to the people.
"And we fulfilled our commitment by conducting peaceful local body and Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir in December 2018."
In June 2018, the BJP, which was part of a coalition government in J and K with the People Democratic Party (PDP), pulled out of the alliance, leading to the fall of the then Mehbooba Mufti government and imposition of central rule. The saffron party then alleged that it became untenable for it to continue its alliance government as "terrorism, violence and radicalisation have risen and fundamental rights of the citizens are under danger in the Valley".
Mr. Modi said people of the region have seen his government's honest intentions, the consistent efforts it has made to integrate them into the mainstream of India's democracy and they have now proactively endorsed the steps taken through this peaceful, high voter turnout.
"I have no doubt in my mind that Jammu and Kashmir has a very bright future and the region will serve as a beacon of democratic empowerment and aspirations."
Asked how the recent situation in J and K aligns with the government's long-term strategy for the region, the prime minister said Jammu and Kashmir, since 1947, has been a victim of conflict economy, where the stakeholders were a few politicians, many who were working for their own personal agendas or those of outside forces.
"For almost seven decades, the people of Jammu and Kashmir were denied the right to development, progress, and prosperity because a few families, in India and their masters outside, wanted to use the people to peddle their own separatist agenda. This was an irreversible loss for generations of innocent families who were pulled into a conflict. We want to ensure that now there is an irreversible dividend of peace for future generations to come." Mr. Modi said ever since his government came into office in 2014, its agenda has been quite clear -- development for all, opportunities for all, prosperity for all.
He said for 70 years, there was a conflict, but for 70 years, not all regions were accessible via all-weather roads, or with all the basic necessities.
"Think about the struggles of the tribal population in the mountains, or the youth in region who could not get any aspirational jobs like the youth in the rest of the country. We have managed to reverse this trend, especially post 2019," he added.
The Prime Minister said from tourism to education, from sports to agriculture, from manufacturing to FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations), and from SHGs (Self Help groups) to entrepreneurship, the government wants to create an ecosystem for everything within the region itself.
"Our strategy is already proving to be successful. You look at some of the events that routinely happen at Dal Lake. I was amazed to see that a Formula-4 event drew such massive crowds. When we replace fear with hope, we convert hopelessness into aspiration.
"That is what we have done and the ripple effect this transformation will have will not just positively transform the region but entire India. This peace and optimism among the people has rattled the terrorists and their sponsors in our neighbouring country," he said.
Brand Modi outcome of people’s trust gained over two decades: PM Modi
Describing himself as a doer, Mr. Modi has said the perception of Brand Modi is the outcome of the trust of the people he has gained in his over two decades of public life.
In an exclusive interview to PTI, the Prime Minister said he will do whatever it takes to achieve the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047.
He was replying to questions on the longevity of ‘Brand Modi’ and whether he saw himself becoming the prime minister in the ongoing elections as well as in 2029.
“I was not born to become someone. I was born to do something. It is my mission to turn my country into a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047. I have to do something and I keep doing whatever it takes to achieve this,” MR. Modi said.
“I am just a doer and it is the people of the country who decide who will become what,” the Prime Minister said.
He said ‘Brand Modi’ worked because there was no conscious effort in building this brand.
The Prime Minister what one perceives as ‘Brand Modi’ is the outcome of the trust of people won over in more than two decades of his public life. People have seen the genuine efforts and tireless hard work that he has put in to improve the lives of the people, he added.
“They see a conviction that I will do nothing with a bad intention and will never be found lacking in the efforts that I put in. This trust and belief that they have put in me is the only and most cherished earning I have,” Mr. Modi said.
“I am human. Mistakes may happen. But I will do nothing with bad intentions. I will not leave any stone unturned and make every effort. I have made these promises to the country. I follow them in letter and spirit till this day,” he said.
Mr. Modi said the blessings of the people keep him going and give him strength.
“During my rallies and road shows, people from all ages, from children to grandmothers, and all walks of life, come to greet me and listen to me. I feel fortunate that even in the blazing sun, they show up in such large numbers,” he said.
“When I see the spark of hope in their eyes and the assurance that they are standing behind me, it makes me all the more determined to fulfil the dreams and aspirations of my 140 crore family members,” he said.
“It is people’s trust that gives me strength. I instantly connect with them and can feel the overwhelming emotions they exude. Being among people, who are God personified, is nothing less than a divine experience for me and that is why I feel this inexplicable energy from within that pushes me to work even harder,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Modi said he is unaware of how a brand works. People can see his life and the work he has done over the years in public life, he added.
“A person, who has worked as the chief minister of a state for 13 years and as prime minister for 10 years… and his 100-year-old mother spends her last days in a government hospital, then that country does not need a brand; the country can understand that (my) life is somewhat different,” Mr. Modi said.
Published - May 20, 2024 04:04 pm IST
