Modi raises poll pitch, goes all out against Cong in Jammu

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called upon people to teach a lesson to those who were responsible for their miseries. He invoked Jammu’s pride and honour by raking up the issue of discrimination against it during a rally here this afternoon.

Ahead of the last phase of the five-phase Assembly elections in J&K, the Prime Minister, who addressed two rallies in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region, was all offensive against the Congress for “betraying” the people of the Jammu region.

As elections for the remaining 20 seats of the Assembly will be held in the Jammu region, Modi invoked Jammu’s pride and dignity to muster support for party candidates. “It is the question of Jammu’s dignity, pride and honour so you must teach a lesson to those who are responsible for all your woes,” he exhorted the people while launching a blistering attack on the Congress.

“It is only the Congress which has betrayed the people of the Jammu region because this party, after getting votes from the people from the region, has always backstabbed for power,” he said. “Injustice and discrimination is embedded in their DNA as they always work on the agenda of having a weak government in J&K. They work for a fractured mandate so that they can offer their support and take benefit after becoming a part of the government in the state,” Modi said

“With their nefarious designs, Congress leaders continue to hoodwink the gullible people of the Jammu region as the Valley has already rejected them. The Congress has been sitting with every government and just before elections, it starts attacking its partners to befool the people,” Modi said.

While making an obvious reference to statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and JKPCC chief Saifuddin Soz, who had stated that the BJP would not get a single seat in Ladakh and the Kashmir valley, Modi exhorted the people: “Give all 20 seats to the BJP to give a befitting reply to those who are giving such statements”.

Touching the issue of discrimination against the Jammu region, Modi recalled his tenure as general secretary of the BJP when he had worked in J&K for many years. “Whenever I would come to Jammu, people here complained of discrimination and neglect in every sphere of life,” he recalled. “Today I have realised that there is some substance in the feeling of neglect and deprivation,” he added.

Modi said the people of Jammu should give a befitting reply to those who were responsible for the discrimination. Continuing his tirade against the NC and the PDP, Modi termed dynastic politics as a “termite” that ate away the foundations of democracy. Holding corruption, bad governance and nepotism responsible for the problems being faced by the people of the state, he said dynastic politics was the root cause of all these problems.