JK News Today special commentary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s February 20 visit has been showcased as a messaging of all the development that has taken place in Jammu and Kashmir during his term in office and with a promise of doing much for the territory in future. This visit is much more than that
.That Narendra Modi is an icon of “ Viksit Bharat” is a fact of life . It holds special importance for Jammu and Kashmir as it has opened doors of integration through development with the rest of the country. The development in this territory is not all about the infrastructural development , opening of new connectivity links between the regions and the rest of India , it has far deeper meaning and appeal than it has elsewhere.
This territory was watered with the narrative that any development is unwelcome because it seeks to impose idea of India, erasing the unique identity of Kashmir . Each structure was seen as alien unless it had embedded in political soil of Kashmir. This created doubts , and the central governments too were happy as that did not bring any pressure on them to go in for people-friendly development . There were political compromises and that worked to the mutual benefit of both the sides, leaving people in lurch. A deliberate vacuum was sought to be created and the people were asked to look at the gorges of political and psychological alienation which they were told could be filled only with the strengthening of the internal sovereignty Over a period of time , the idea of greater autonomy and self-rule got pushed to secessionism.
On December 8 , 2014 when Modi addressed his first public meeting in Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium as Prime Minister , his pledge to transform Kashmir , the land most beautiful as world class tourist definition , got subdued in the overall political messaging that was read as part of his commitment to resolve Kashmir issue with the three mantras of his illustrious predecessor Atal Behari Vajpayee – Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and Jamhhoriyat – ( Humanity, composite culture and ethos of Kashmir , and democracy) . Till that time these three mantras were translated as free for all , and beyond boundaries solution through humane approach , and to laud the Kashmiri ethos , which was read as accommodating Kashmir in all spheres , and democracy by upholding the democratic values . Modi had underlined his own set of goals wherein he sought to shift the focus from the political goals to that of the development and peace . The peace was not to be bought, but made organic .
Now when he will be visiting Jammu on Tuesday , his bag is full of inauguration and laying of foundation tones of 209 projects worth Rs 3161 crore.. . That is a commitment that the current pace of the development , which has vibration of bringing J&K closer to the idea of India and unparalleled opportunities .The Infrastructure and the connectivity projects are not mere dots on the landscape , this is rich with the message that India cares for the people of Jammu and Kashmir like any other territory that sits on the map of India.. Kashmir has to realize what does it want – development, peace and opportunities to excel. Kashmir is not to compete with itself but the world outside to excel . This has erased the idea of conflict , and the biggest beneficiaries are the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Narendra Modi guided the development and drew the outline , the work on the ground was done by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha . The LG knew how Modi wanted the transformation of the place , and also read the aspirations of the people of all ages . He drew the convergence points , and as a result of which J&K is an outstanding story of development and peace . The conflict is receding, peace and hopes are soaring high.
