Srinagar- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that he would keep promises he had made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, a statement seen as an oblique reference to the demand for restoration of statehood voiced strongly by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
“Yeh Modi hai, wada karta hai toh nibhata hai. Har kaam ka ek samay hai, aur sahi samay pe sahi kaam bhi hone wale hai (This is Modi who keeps his promises. And right things are going to happen at the right time),” the prime minister said at a large public meeting where he shared the stage with Omar after inaugurating a strategic 6.4-km tunnel between Srinagar with Sonamarg.
Terming Kashmir as India’s crown, Prime Minister Modi also said the dream of ‘Viksit Bharat’ will be achieved only when this crown is bedecked with jewels.
Speaking earlier at the function, Omar pressed for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as promised by the prime minister before the assembly elections in September last year and said, “My heart believes that you will fulfil this promise soon”.
“You also promised (assembly) elections within four months and you stayed true to your words,” he said.
Without making a direct reference to the issue of statehood, Modi assured the gathering that all promises would be kept and the right things would happen at the right time.
The prime minister said he wishes Jammu and Kashmir to be beautiful and prosperous. “There is an atmosphere of peace in Jammu and Kashmir and we have seen its effect on tourism. Kashmir is writing a new saga of development today,” he said.
“Jammu and Kashmir of the 21st century is scripting a new chapter of development,” he said and remarked that the region is regaining its identity as “Paradise on Earth”, leaving behind the difficult days of the past.
Modi said the Kashmir Valley will soon be connected by train and there is enthusiasm among people about it.
He also paid tributes to the seven people who were killed in a terror attack near the tunnel here on October 20 last year.
After inaugurating the project, the prime minister went inside the tunnel and interacted with project officials. He also met construction workers who worked meticulously amid harsh conditions to complete the tunnel.
He thanked the labourers who worked hard and also put their lives at stake for the development of Jammu and Kashmir and India.
“Despite the challenges, our resolve did not waver,” the prime minister said while lauding the labourers for their resolve and commitment.
Admiring the beautiful snow-covered mountains and the delightful weather, Modi said that his eagerness to visit Jammu and Kashmir increased after seeing the recent pictures shared by the chief minister on social media.
He reminisced about his earlier days when he frequently visited the region while working for the BJP and mentioned spending considerable time in areas like Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Ganderbal and Baramulla, often walking for hours and covering several kilometres.
Despite the heavy snowfall, the warmth of the people of Jammu and Kashmir made the cold unnoticeable, the prime minister said as the audience broke into applause.
Modi also spoke about the recent foundation stone laying of the Jammu Rail Division, a long-standing demand of the people.
He highlighted that the tunnel will significantly ease the lives of people in Sonamarg, Kargil and Leh.
The prime minister remarked that the tunnel will reduce the difficulties faced during avalanches, heavy snowfall and landslides, which often lead to road closures.
The prime minister noted that the actual construction of the Sonamarg Tunnel began in 2015 after his government came into power and said he was pleased that the tunnel’s construction was completed under their administration.
“I have this mantra whatever project we announce, we only inaugurate those,” he said and made it clear that the days are gone when projects were announced but nobody used to follow up on them.
‘Gulmarg Winter Sports Capital Of India’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said Jammu and Kashmir’s skiing resort Gulmarg, which is preparing to host the fifth edition of Khelo India Winter Games, has become the winter sports capital of the country.
“Gulmarg has become the winter games capital of India, having hosted four Khelo India Winter Games, with the fifth edition starting next month,” the prime minister said after inaugurating the Z-Morh tunnel in Ganderbal district.
Asserting that it was truly a new era of Jammu and Kashmir’s history, Modi said an international cricket league was held in the region after forty years, besides car racing scenes around the beautiful Dal Lake.
Over the past two years, the prime minister noted that 2,500 athletes from across the country have participated in various sports tournaments in Jammu and Kashmir.
He highlighted the establishment of over 90 Khelo India centres in the region, providing training to 4,500 local youth.
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