As Kashmir continued to face restrictions in the event of Centre abrogating Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday tried to assuage the feelings of people, saying unprecedented development and jobs creation will flow to the state like the rest of the country. He assured the people that the state will elect its own representatives as before, have a chief minister and a cabinet which would govern.
By choosing to speak directly to the people of the state, Modi has taken political ownership of the bold decision which will have strong impact in the region. When the bill to reorganise the state was debated in the Parliament, Modi let Home Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah run the show. Shah’s speech inside the parliament was aimed at sending a strong message to the country and abroad that this government meant business and it would go ahead at all costs to fulfil its agenda. In contrast, Modi’s message came with a velvet touch to cool down tempers—to provide hope to people who were cut off from rest of the world and apparently lived under strain for the past one week.
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Instead of waiting for the Independence Day, when the prime minister might touch upon a number of issues in his customary address to the nation, Modi chose to speak on Thursday, apparently keeping in mind the Eid, which falls on August 11 so that the healing touch was much more effective.
Modi’s assurances came in terms of job creation, filing up vacant posts, passing benefits of salaried state employees at par with other states, developing tourism infrastructure, application of welfarist laws like right to education, minimum wages Act, SC/ST Act, and safeguarding provisions for the sanitation workers.
The prime minister said the special status provisions were misused by certain vested interests to foster terrorism, nepotism and corruption. He accused Pakistan of using the Article 370 as a weapon against India. In the last three decades, 42,000 people have lost their lives (due to terrorism). Kashmir and Ladakh could not attain the development which it was entitled to. “Now, after this new arrangement, the present and future of people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will improve,” Modi said in his televised speech.
Modi said even keeping the state under the Governor’s rule was done with a purpose in mind. When the state came under Central rule, development has started taking place. “All the held up projects like IIT, IIM, AIIMS, anti-corruption bureau, building roads, power projects, rail lines and airport have been speeded up,” the PM said.
He also focused on developing business in the state, be it tourism, or fruits based products. He even invited Bollywood to showcase Kashmir’s beauty as they used to do it by shooting films there in the past.
He credited the decision to “integrate” Kashmir to India to Sardar Patel, B.R. Ambedkar, Syama Prasad Mukherjee and A.B. Vajpayee.
There were three broad takeaways from Modi’s address. He assured the people of the state about the benefits that will flow to them in terms of jobs and business, speeding up of infrastructure projects to improve the ease of living, and thirdly that political leadership in the state will be chosen from among them. This message was key to tell the people that they should participate in the elections which are likely to be held in the next few months. When a new government will be chosen in assembly elections, it will also act as referendum on the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370.
