Shillong, February 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that J&K has got freedom from a long dynastic rule that focused on their own progress and development and not that of the people.
Addressing a large public gathering at the Maulana Azad Stadium here in which people participated braving heavy rain in the city, PM Modi said, “For decades J&K was ruled by dynasties who focused their attention on the progress and development of the ruling family and not on the future generation of the people.
“They held the future of our youth at ransom to further their own future. J&K is being liberated from such dynastic rule,” he said.
The PM began his speech praising the Dogri language which, he said, is as sweet as the Dogri people. He quoted famous poetess, Padma Sachdev to bring home his point about the innate goodness of the Dogri people.
“Seeing such large numbers and their enthusiasm here today despite rain, I believe this is the biggest blessing for Viksit Bharat.
“People are watching this programme in large numbers on screens put up at different places. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha tells me that people in 285 blocks of J&K are watching this programme through screens set up there.
“The hope and faith with which the people of J&K have received the Viksit Bharat vehicles at different places has been unprecedented. It was for the first time that the government came to the doorsteps of the people.
“This is Modi Ki guarantee and Kanwal Ka Kamal. Dreams unfulfilled for 70 years are being realised how.
“In the past, only disappointing news came from J&K about bombs and violence. Today the news is all positive about progress and development.
“Developments projects with more than Rs 32,000 crore have been started today. This is happening for the first time. These projects pertain to education, healthcare, electric train service, connectivity, etc.
“At this venue in 2013, I made some promises as to why Jammu could not have IIT, IIM and AIIMS. Today I have fulfilled that promise. Now more money is spent on education in J&K than was ever in the past.
“Fifty new degree colleges have been opened. Over 45,000 new admissions of children in schools have been made. Before 2014, there were four medical colleges in J&K, today there are 12.
“In 2014 there were only 500 MBBS seats and today there are 1,300. There were no PG medical seats and now such seats are available here.
“Forty-five nursing and paramedical colleges have been opened here after 2014.
“Fifteen new AIIMS have been opened in different states and today I have inaugurated one in Vijaypur in Jammu.
“Elders in this public meeting will remember that the only place for specialised medical care was AIIMS Delhi in their youth and today, they have one in Jammu itself.
“Dynastic rule and corruption impeded the future of our youth and today the youth of J&K are making their own future.
“Hartals and Bandhs have been overtaken by life and its activities. Over two crore tourists visited Kashmir last year. More and more are eager to come now.
“The Congress governments did not honour our soldiers. For 40 years they kept on promising, but we have implemented one rank one pension promise.
“India is today the fifth largest economy in the World and in the next five years, we have to make India the third largest economic power of the World.
“I recently visited the Gulf countries, I found a lot of positivity about J&K there. The biggest hurdle was 370 and we have removed that hurdle,” he said.
PM Modi asked people to give BJP over 370 seats and NDA over 400 in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
To express their support to the Modi-led NDA government in the future, he asked the participants in the public gathering to light the flashes of their mobile phones. The venue was lit with the mobile phone flashes in response to the PM’s appeal. (IANS)