Prime Minister Narendra Modi vows Jammu and Kashmir growth

Katra (J&K): After the controversy on Article 370 that erupted within days of the swearing-in of the NDA government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered an olive branch to the people of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, claiming that he wants to “win their hearts” and herald the all-round development of the state.

“My message for the people of the state is that what former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee had done for J&K, I seek to take that forward. Hum dil jeetna chahte haen and dil jeetenge bhi. Chunao me vijay parajay hota rahta hai (We want to win the hearts of people here and will do so. Victory and defeat happen in elections, but that is immaterial to take the interests of the state forward),” the PM said.

The Prime Minister was addressing a small gathering of railway officials and a few others at Katra after flagging off a train on the Katra-Udhampur rail line, that became operational from Friday.

Sticking to his development plank. Mr Modi said that even after one decade of the 21st century has gone by, there are “so many people who have not seen trains and development”. He said: “I asked the children in the inaugural train: how many of them had seen trains earlier — and 80 per cent of them said they had not.”

Claiming he seeks to bring development to people in far-flung areas, the PM said he would soon formulate a “policy of Himalayan states” that will be a blueprint for the Centre and states to follow.

“Today is a very eventful day for J&K, as the state gets gati (speed through the Katra rail line) and urja (power, PM inaugurated a hydel project in Uri). These will together bring a qualitative change in the lives of people here,” Mr Modi said.

Acknowledging that he is aware of restlessness among the youth of the Kashmir Valley, the PM made a strong pitch to reach out to them.

“Creating jobs for the youth of the state is my priority. And with infrastructure in place, the state is on the path to attract a lot of foreign tourists,” said Mr Modi, suggesting that the train to Katra be named Shree Shakti Express, as it would bring pilgrims from across the country to the Vaishno Devi shrine.

Speaking earlier, J&K CM Omar Abdullah praised Mr Vajpayee for giving approval to the Katra rail project. “The Katra rail line has seen the light of day after much delay. Many promised and laid foundation stones for this but nothing happened. But it was Mr Vajapyee who termed it a project of national importance and made the finances available,” Mr Abdullah said.