Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already made two visits to J&K since taking office. In the 2014 Parliamentary elections, the BJP bagged six Lok Sabha seats and surprisingly accounted for the largest vote share of 32.4%. It entrenched itself in Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh. The coming assembly elections accordingly hold out bright prospects for the party. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has revived the Vajpayee formula of insaniyat as a basis for dialogue with discardant groups in the state. Speaking to soldiers in Kargil, Modi attacked Pakistan’s proxy war following terror strikes in Pullwama district where seven BSF soldiers were injured. It was his first direct attack on Pakistan. He said that Pakistan did not have the strength to fight a conventional war and so continued to engage in a proxy war in which innocent people were killed and the number of military casualties was also higher.
However, Modi laid stress primarily on the need for development. He recalled that when he visited Kutch soon after taking over as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he was told by a local delegation not to focus on border issues and Pakistan’s hostility in the frontier region. He was requested to emphasize matters affecting people and their livelihood. In J&K also, he highlighted the urgent issue of development. It was his party’s preoccupation with this key concern which enabled it to win a thumping majority in the Lok Sabha this year. His lieutenant Amit Shah did the hatchet work on the National Conference. The Congress has now severed ties with the NC. A crack has developed in the ruling alliance. The BJP will no doubt pitch in to exploit the breach. The development thrust will further pave the way for victory in J&K.
