The Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission to conduct elections in J and K by September 30, 2024. PM 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.
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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his government’s “solemn promise” to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and emphasized that the Centre is diligently working to create the right conditions for this transition.
Speaking in an interview on Sunday night, Modi highlighted the government’s commitment to democratic enhancement in the region, noting that the record voter turnout in Srinagar was one of the “most gratifying things” he has seen during his tenure.
“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,”
-PM Modi stated.
He added that the high voter turnout in Srinagar, a region historically plagued by unrest, underscores the people’s trust in the NDA government’s dedication to democracy,
“even at the cost of us sacrificing power for ourselves.”
The Modi government had abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019. This action led to the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Reflecting on this decision, Modi remarked,
“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.”
He noted that Srinagar recorded a 36.7 percent turnout – the highest since 1996 – in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 13.
“The voting percentage in Srinagar, once a hotbed for all kinds of radical elements, witnessed the highest voter turnout in decades,”
-PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister also pointed to the region’s recent engagement with the global community, noting,
“The world witnessed the growth and enthusiasm of the people in J&K when they welcomed the delegates from across the world during the G20 events.”
Reflecting on the progress made in the last five years, Modi expressed optimism about the future of Jammu and Kashmir, stating,
“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 institutionalize the positive changes that have taken place and make the gains irreversible so that the people of the region never have to 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.”
Modi envisions Jammu and Kashmir as a hub of culture, knowledge, and tourism, as well as a center for futuristic technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Addressing the timing of Assembly elections in the region, he stated,
“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. It is the best organization to assess as to when and how it will conduct Assembly elections.”
In December 2023, the Apex Court directed the Election Commission to conduct elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.
When asked about his assessment of the high turnout in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir post-abrogation of Article 370, Modi stated,
“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.”
He further highlighted the judicial endorsement of the abrogation, saying,
“Then in December 2023, 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.”
The Prime Minister lauded the BJP’s commitment to devolution of power, mentioning,
“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.”
He recounted the BJP’s decision to withdraw from the coalition government in June 2018, leading to the fall of the then Mehbooba Mufti Government and imposition of Central rule. The BJP cited rising terrorism, violence, and radicalization as untenable conditions for continuing the alliance.
Modi emphasized the government’s honest intentions and consistent efforts to integrate Jammu and Kashmir into the mainstream of India’s democracy, noting,
“People of the region have seen our honest intentions 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.”
Addressing the long-term strategy for Jammu and Kashmir, Modi said,
“Since 1947, Jammu and Kashmir has been a victim of conflict economy, where the stakeholders were a few politicians, many 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.”
Modi underscored his government’s agenda of development for all, noting,
“Ever since we came into office in 2014, our agenda has been quite clear — development for all, opportunities for all, prosperity for all. 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 the 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.”
The Prime Minister highlighted various sectors where the government aims to create an ecosystem within Jammu and Kashmir, stating,
“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.”
He concluded by expressing his belief in the transformative impact of the government’s initiatives,
“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.”
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