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Asserting that terrorism is taking its last breath in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government projected new leadership to counter dynastic politics that has destroyed "this beautiful region".
Addressing a massive election rally in support of Bharatiya Janata Party candidates in Doda district of Jammu region, Modi also reiterated his government's promise of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and cautioned people against bringing the NC, Congress and the PDP back to power.
This was the first election rally by the prime minister in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the first phase of the assembly polls on September 18, which will cover 24 seats spread across the three districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban in Jammu and the south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam.
The first phase will be followed by the next on September 25, when polling will be held in 26 constituencies. The last phase will be on October 1 for 40 seats.
Modi began his nearly 45-minute speech by welcoming the people who attended the rally in the Kashmiri language.
"This time, the (assembly) election will decide the future of Jammu and Kashmir, which has remained the target of foreign powers since Independence," he told the gathering.
"Not only this, dynastic politics made this beautiful region hollow from within. The political parties you trusted never cared for your children. They only cared for and projected their children and did not let new leadership grow," Modi added.
The prime minister said his government focused on carving out a young leadership in Jammu and Kashmir soon after "we came to power at the Centre in 2014".
"The youths of J-K used to face the brunt of terrorism. The parties which encouraged familism by misleading people enjoyed power and did not allow young leaders to take root.
"Panchayat elections had not taken place since 2000 and Block Development Council and District Development Council polls had never taken place… After 2014, I tried to bring forth the young leadership, holding panchayat polls in 2018, BDC elections in 2019, and DDC in 2020. The reason for holding these elections was to take democracy to the grassroots so that the youth could take charge," Modi said.
Continuing his tirade against the Congress, NC and the PDP, he said these parties never wanted the youth to join politics but "we challenged their intentions and the result was that 30,000 to 35,000 youngsters got elected (in the local body elections) and took control of J-K".
In the years under the BJP government, the prime minister said, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a new phase of development and the credit for that goes to these elected youth. "I salute them for their contribution," he added.
"This assembly election is between three families and the youth. On one side, there are those three families and on the other, my daughters and sisters who are driven by their dreams.
"The Congress, the NC and the PDP have done nothing short of a sin as these three families are responsible for destroying J-K. They encouraged corruption and land grabbers and deprived the people of their rights and facilities. They gave government jobs to only those linked to them, besides preparing the ground for separatism and terrorism," the prime minister alleged.
He said terrorism is taking its last breath in Jammu and Kashmir.
"In the last 10 years, the change witnessed in J-K is nothing short of a dream come true. The stone which used to be thrown at police and the Army is now being utilised for building a new Jammu and Kashmir… This was not done by Modi but by the people of Jammu and Kashmir," the prime minister said.