Prime Minister Narendra Modi , earlier on Tuesday, also visited Chandrashekhar Azad’s birthplace in the tribal-dominated Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh and paid rich tributes to the revolutionary leader
“Be it the Jammu and Kashmir government under Mehboobaji or the central government, we are finding solution to all problems through development,” Modi said at the rally.
He said only a “handful of people who have been misled” were causing trouble in the Kashmir Valley, where protests, since the killing of rebel commander Burhan Wani on 8 July, left over 55 people dead and thousands injured.
“Some people are causing Kashmir a lot of harm,” the prime minister said. “Kashmir wants peace. Whatever Kashmiris want for betterment of their livelihood, the Centre will provide.”
In his speech, Modi made a direct appeal to the youngsters of Kashmir, saying that those who should be holding laptops, bats, balls in their hands & dreams in their hearts are the ones carrying stones.
Modi also rallied for dialogue and democracy in order to reach a solution, to the problem in Kashmir. The PM’s response though late, offers some reassurance that the centre is not completely oblivious to the ongoing strife in Kashmir.
Through his speech, PM Modi’s message resonated loud and clear: that the Indian state is not at war with Kashmir.
While Modi’s statement might deescalate some of the rage in Kashmir, it is necessary that dialogue and action follow.
Recently, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resume former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s open-hearted negotiations with Pakistan.
When offered this piece of advice from Mehbooba Mufti, PM Modi had said that he did not need anyone’s advice on how to deal with Kashmir. He seemed to believe he had enough experience but, as it turns out, Kashmiri teenagers gave him and his colleagues the experience of a lifetime over the past month, making him go back on his words, writes David Devdas.
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com)
