Sonamarg- In a public display of bonhomie, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday exchanged warm gestures with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who is an ally of the opposition INDIA bloc.
Modi was in Sonamarg to inaugurate the 6.5-km Z-Morh tunnel in Ganderbal district to provide round-the-year connectivity to the hill resort along the 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway.
This was the first visit of the prime minister to J&K after the formation of the Omar-led National Conference government in October last year.
On reaching the stage after dedicating the tunnel to the people of J&K, Modi was presented Kashmir’s famous Sozni shawl by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and a papier mache painting by the chief minister.
Omar was the first to address the well-attended gathering and was warmly clapped by the prime minister who also shook hands with him before he returned to his seat close to Modi.
The chief minister, in his speech, praised Prime Minister Modi for his efforts in bridging the gap between “Dil (heart) and Delhi” and holding assembly polls in the Union Territory while exuding confidence that the statehood restoration promise would soon be fulfilled.
Omar referred to Modi’s speech made on International Yoga Day last year and said, “You gave three very important points in your programme. You talked about ‘dil ki duri’ (distance between hearts) and ‘Dilli se duri’ (distance of people of Jammu and Kashmir with Delhi) and said you are trying to eliminate both these things.”
He said it was an honour to have the prime minister inaugurating two important projects in Jammu and Kashmir within a span of 15 days. Last week, Modi virtually inaugurated the Jammu railway division.
“With such projects, not only the distance of the hearts but the distance from Delhi is also reduced,” Omar said, thanking the PM for staying true to his words.
The chief minister said that people often meet him and ask when Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would be restored.
“The second promise of conducting assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir was also fulfilled as the people, who turned up in large numbers after getting a chance to elect their representatives with no complaints of rigging and other related things. That’s why I am here today,” he said.
However, he stated that the third promise of restoring statehood to J&K has not been fulfilled yet and the people here including the media persons usually ask him the questions related to it.
“My heart says that very soon, Prime Minister, you will fulfil your third promise to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. And Jammu and Kashmir will once again get the status of a state,” he said.
He also acknowledged the Centre’s efforts in bringing peace to the borders in J&K and said far flung areas like Machil, Gurez, Karnah and Keran along the Line of Control have benefited with development and tourism. “We cannot imagine how many tourists are enjoying the beauty of these places.”
Modi also repeatedly referred to the chief minister during his nearly half-an-hour long speech and said he became impatient after Omar shared a video and the pictures of the Z-Morh tunnel on his social media account on the eve of its inauguration.
“The weather, snow and the beautiful mountains are enough to make hearts happy…As Omar said I have a long association with this region as I remember spending time as an ordinary worker of BJP in Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Ganderbal and Baramulla.
“I have walked for hours together in the snow but was always warmly welcomed by the people who never allowed me to feel cold,” the prime minister said.
He talked about the ‘Chilai-Kalan’, the 40-day harsh period of winter which is going to end later this month, and said the people are bravely facing this period and serving tourists.
In his speech, Modi also referred to the participation of Omar in Kashmir’s first-ever International Marathon in October last year and said his video has gone viral. “I personally congratulated him when he met me in Delhi. He was full of enthusiasm.”
Omar made history by participating in the marathon, completing the 21-km run with an impressive average pace of 5 minutes 54 seconds per kilometer.
“I assure you that Modi will walk with you side-by-side and will remove all the hurdles which are coming in your dreams. Duri (distance) is over and we have to work together to fulfil our dreams and achieve our goals,” the prime minister said.
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