Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, PM Narendra Modi's rally in Jammu today

Srinagar: On his second visit in his second tenure as Prime Minister to Jammu and Kashmir, Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate and lay foundation stones of development projects worth Rs 32,000 crore on Tuesday.

Before his arrival in Jammu, where he will also address a public rally, Modi wrote on X: “A big boost to all-round development! I look forward to being in Jammu tomorrow, 20th February to inaugurate key development works which will boost ‘Ease of Living.’ It will also be a landmark day for the education sector as various institutions including IITs and IIMs will get permanent campuses.”

In another post he said, “Delighted that AIIMS Jammu will be inaugurated tomorrow. This will cater to the healthcare needs of the region and will benefit several people.”

The Prime Minister will green-light several rail projects in Jammu & Kashmir including the new rail line between Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan which spans 48 km and the newly electrified Baramulla-Srinagar-Banihal-Sangaldan section.

In 2013, after Modi was declared as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, he addressed the “Lalkar Rally" at Jammu’s MA Stadium on December 1, 2013. The rally, attended by over one lakh people, is remembered as the biggest-ever political gathering in the history of Jammu.

Modi had then called for a general discussion over Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which granted special status to the erstwhile state, and was revoked by his government on August 5, 2019.

Meanwhile, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been placed on high alert ahead of Modi’s visit. This heightened state of alertness aims to prevent any potential subversive activities by terrorists during the Prime Minister's significant visit to the Union Territory.