Bullets, abuses won't resolve Kashmir, says Narendra Modi on I-Day

New Delhi: Toeing Vajpayee’s Kashmir doctrine of “Kashmiriyat, Jamhoori-yat aur Insaniyat”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of Red Fort held out some hope for the strife-ridden Kashmir valley as he called for compassion and not coercion. 

Addressing the nation on 71st Independence Day, the Prime Minister said: “Na gaali se, na goli se, parivartan hoga gale lagaane se... samasya suljhegi har Kashmiri ko gale lagane se” (Kashmir problem cannot be resolved by either bullets or by abuses. It can be resolved by embracing Kashmiris). 

Making it clear that his government would not be soft on terrorism, Mr Modi also slammed violence in the name of faith, saying it was “not acceptable” and that communalism and casteism were a “poison” that would do no good to the country.

Wearing his trademark half-sleeve kurta and a Rajasthani turban, in his 56-minute speech, the shortest of all the four speeches since 2014, he assured that the government was committed to making Kashmir a paradise once again. 

PM gives call for good governance
He said that “a handful of separatists” were resorting to “various tactics” to create problems in the state. Mr Modi also asked the countrymen to shed the “chalta hai” attitude and instead adopt an approach of “badal sakta hai” (can change) for positive change.

Invoking Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s slogan of swaraj (self-rule), he said now their motto should be “suraj” (good governance) as he underlined his vision for a ‘new India’ by 2022.

In “New India”, he said, “Tantra se lok nahin, lok se tantra chalega (people would be the driving force behind the establishment rather than the other way around).” He lamented that democracy has been confined to ballots.

The nation had shown its collective strength between 1942 and 1947 culminating in India's Independence, he said, asking people to show the same resolve to create a “new India” by 2022.

Most of his speech, however, focussed on the economy, as he pointed out the various reforms carried out by his government, including demonetisation, the implementation of GST and the crackdown on black money. 

“Those who have looted the nation and looted the poor are not able to sleep peacefully today,” the PM said, vowing to continue the crackdown. He said over Rs 1.75 lakh crore has been deposited in banks since the note-ban, and more than 18 lakh people with disproportionate income are under scrutiny.

He said demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes last year had helped bring over Rs 3 lakh crore of unaccounted wealth into the banking system.