Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union MoS Jitendra Singh during a public meeting for Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections, in Jammu, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Jammu and Kashmir people are looking forward to a government free of "corruption, terrorism and separatism" for peace and a better future for their children, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday and described the Congress, NC and PDP as the "biggest enemies" of the Constitution.
At a poll rally at M A M Stadium here ahead of the last phase of the assembly elections, he referred to the 2016 surgical strikes across the border and said, "The terror mentors know that if they do anything wrong, Modi will find them even in 'Pataal' (netherworld)."
The third and final phase of the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held on October 1. As many as 40 seats -- 24 in the Jammu region and 16 in Kashmir -- will go to polls in this phase.
Modi claimed at the rally that there was a massive enthusiasm among people for the BJP. "The people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have been at the receiving end of the rule of three families -- Congress, NC and PDP -- do not want them back."
"They do not want corruption, discrimination in jobs, terrorism, separatism and bloodshed. Instead, they want peace and a better future for their children," the prime minister said in his nearly 45-minute speech.
Modi said the people in Jammu and Kashmir want the BJP to form a government and the heavy polling in the first two phases reflects the mood of the people.
Alleging that previous governments discriminated against the Jammu region, the prime minister told the rally, "This is the city of temples. Do not waste this opportunity, a BJP government will be formed and it will address all your issues."
"This election is going to write a new chapter. Previously Congress, NC, PDP leaders and their families benefited from their governments while you faced destruction," Modi told the rally.
"The Congress is the biggest party responsible for the loss of generations (to terrorism). From the time of Independence, the party’s wrong policies encouraged inimical forces," he alleged.
Modi said ceasefire violations used to be a routine along the borders in Jammu because "they (Congress) used to show them white flags".
"The BJP government responded to their bullets with mortar shells to set their mind in the right position."
"Today is September 28 and you know a surgical strike took place on this day (in 2016). India sent a message to the world that this is a new India, and it strikes inside their homes," he said.
The prime minister said that after his government conducted the surgical strike, the Congress sought proof of it.
"It is a party that speaks Pakistan's language on surgical strikes. Will you pardon the Congress for such language? The Congress does not respect those who lay down their lives for the nation," Modi said.
This is the same Congress which lied to the armed forces, considering that One Rank One Pension (OROP) would be a burden on the treasury, he alleged.
"Modi did not consider this and implemented OROP in 2014 immediately after our government was formed. We have recently reviewed OROP, which will bring more money to pensioners."
Accusing the Congress of being under the influence of "urban Naxals", the prime minister alleged, "When intruders come from outside, they feel good because they see them as a vote bank. But for the problems of our own people, they crack jokes."
Modi alleged that the Congress, NC and PDP are the "biggest enemies" of the Constitution as he accused these parties of strangulating the spirit of B R Ambedkar's Constitution by "depriving" various sections of people of their right to vote.
"The BJP honoured the Constitution and gave voting rights to these brothers and sisters -- West Pakistani refugees, Gorkhas and Valmikis -- who were forced to live as second-class citizens," he said.
The prime minister also alleged that these parties violated the Constitution by not holding the panchayat and local bodies elections.
Modi began his speech by paying tributes to great Dogra personalities, including Maharaja Hari Singh, and freedom fighter Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary.
This is the prime minister's third visit to Jammu and Kashmir and fourth election rally in a fortnight.
He addressed an election rally in Doda district on September 14, four days before the first phase of elections, and two more rallies in Srinagar and Katra on September 19 in the run-up to the second phase of elections.
The high-pitch campaigning for the last phase of the polls will end on Sunday evening.
Assembly Elections 2024 | In the first assembly polls since the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi and the BJP face a rejuvenated and vindicated Opposition in the Haryana assembly polls. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir is voting after almost a decade and it remains to be seen how the abrogation of Article 370 has impacted the political landscape of the Valley. Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.