Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday invoked Atal Behari Vajpayee's concepts of communal harmony, humanity and democracy to share the pain of Kashmiris and promised to take the state to new heights of development.
"People of Kashmir have given me a lot of trust and love. I will repay this love and trust with interest in the form of development. I can die for this love and trust showered on me," he said in his first election meeting in the valley, that avoided any mention of controversial issues like abrogation of Article 370.
In his 30 minutes speech, Modi used the opportunity to attack the "all pervasive" corruption under successive governments of "Congress, father-son and father-daughter" in the last 30 years and asked the people to give him "one chance" to bring development.
Modi sought to strike a chord with the people saying, "I as Pradhan Sevak have come to share your pain and anguish. Your sorrow is my sorrow, your pain is my pain, your problem is my problem. I have not come to take anything. People in the Army and police have died and so have the innocent youths. Their loss is irreparable and no one can compensate for it but sharing can reduce the pain."
Invoking Atal Behari Vajpayee's famous 2003 speech at the same venue, Modi said, "Vajpayee made a good beginning. I have come to carry this forward. It is my duty to carry forward and fulfil his dreams of insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and jamhooriyat (democracy) which are the three pillars that can turn around Kashmir in the 21st century on the path of development."
At the start of his speech, the Prime Minister said this was the first time in the last 30 years that any leader has made bold to address a meeting in the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium. Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Atal Behari Vajpayee had addressed meetings in the adjacent ground of the stadium complex.
The Prime Minister said that it is the first time that army owned up the mistake of gunning down two innocent youth in a press conference and action has been taken against those who opened fire.
"This had not happened in the last 30 years. Ye Modi sarkar ka kaamal hai. Ye mere nek iradon ka saboot hai. (This is the wonder of Modi government. It is a proof of my honest intentions)," he said.
He said terrorism may be over but not corruption. "I want to eliminate corruption. Unless it is eradicated, the ordinary people's lives will not become any better," he said.
Giving an example of corruption in the state, Modi said that when he met families of flood hit victims during Diwali, they said money should not be given to the state government but rather transferred directly into their accounts.
"This shows they did not trust their own state government but Modi in whom they showed so much faith," he said.
The Prime Minister said he has been visiting Kashmir ever since July and would again be coming in 2015. Modi said it is tourism and hydro-electric potential of the state which can change its face.
"Tourism can give employment to even a peanut seller ... We can open up new destinations for tourism so that people who have visited the state can come again. This can be achieved by small measures of infrastructure at lesser known places," he said.
Modi said Kashmir has the potential to light up the entire country. "Small hydro-electric plants will give employment opportunities to youth of the state and allow them to lead a life of dignity."
The finger pressing EVM is stronger than the one on AK-47
The finger which presses the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) button is much stronger than the one that operates an AK-47, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an election rally in Jammu's Samba district.
"Even you have the power, the power to press a finger (on the EVM), and the strength of your finger is much more than one on an AK-47," the Prime Minister said. Jammu and Kashmir, which was hit by four terror attacks last week went to the third phase of polls on Tuesday.
