New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar today to unveil development projects worth more than Rs 6,400 crore and address a public meeting, which his Bharatiya Janata Party expects will be the biggest political rally in the region since 2019 – when he was last in Kashmir.
The Prime Minister flew into Srinagar Thursday morning and then to Badamibagh Cantonment, the headquarters of the Army’s 15, or Chinar Corps, where he laid a wreath at the War Memorial and paid his tributes to fallen soldiers. He was then driven to Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium for the rally.
This is Mr Modi’s second visit to J&K in three weeks; he addressed a rally in Jammu on February 20.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches and dedicates to the nation 53 projects worth Rs 6,400 crores at Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium. pic.twitter.com/5Mfe2kRdGw
— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2024
Crucially, this will be his first visit to the Kashmir Valley since the contentious scrapping of Article 370 and split the former state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Mr Modi’s visit also comes with a general election on the horizon and the Supreme Court’s deadline to his government – to hold an Assembly election by September 30. A five-judge bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was ruling on pleas challenging the government’s scrapping of Article 370.
READ | In Historic J&K Ruling, Supreme Court Sets Election Deadline
The BJP has made no secret of its plan to make scrapping of Article 370 central to its election agenda, both in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, as well as across the country.
In the 2019 election, the BJP and the National Conference of former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah split J&K’s six Lok Sabha seats; the Srinagar seat was won by Mr Abdullah.
The BJP has never won this seat, which has been a bastion for the National Conference since the first election in 1967. Only the Congress (1996) and ex-Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples’ Democratic Party (2014) have managed wins in the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.
The BJP claims two lakh people, including thousands of government employees who have been told attendance is mandatory, are expected at the Prime Minister’s rally.
Security For PM Visit
Prep for the Prime Minister’s visit involve the biggest security exercise in recent years, with thousands of police and paramilitary personnel deployed across the city. Areas around Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium – the venue – have been turned into a security fortress; drones have been deployed and extensive CCTV camera networks have been set up as part of surveillance measures.
Foot-patrolling by security forces is taking place in a two-km radius around the venue.
Officials, however, have claimed there is minimal disruption to daily life. Srinagar Police sources told news agency PTI “people are being allowed to move about and there are no restrictions anywhere”.
Srinagar Traffic Diversions
There are some traffic changes, police said.
Traffic from Jehangir Chowk to Rambagh, and from Rajbagh to LD Hospital (and the Tulsi Bagh route) has been restricted from till 7 pm. There are also restrictions – on civilian traffic movement – on the Jahangir Chowk-Solina-Ram Bagh stretch.
Similarly, civilian traffic movement on the Raj Bagh-LD Hospital-Tulsi Bagh route, and on Gupkar Road to the All India Radio office is also restricted.
PM’s Feb 20 Visit
On his last visit to J&K the Prime Minister launched multiple development projects – including those for education, railway, aviation and transport – worth over Rs 32,000 crore.
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