The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir utilized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagging-off ceremony of the first train to Kashmir in Katra to explain the demands of his government.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah used Friday’s flagging-off ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first train to Kashmir in Katra to quietly but firmly emphasize his government’s desire for the return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, fusing humor with political resolve.
Mr. Abdullah cited a “coincidence” that four attendees of the event on Friday were also on stage that day, recalling the opening of the Katra railway station, the final event of his first government in 2014. “You (Narendra Modi) became the Prime Minister for the first time then…,” Mr. Abdullah replied, jokingly highlighting the disparate career paths of the parties. You arrived here immediately following the election. And here, by God’s blessing, you opened the Katra train station.Mr. Abdullah cited a “coincidence” that four attendees of the event on Friday were also on stage that day, recalling the opening of the Katra railway station, the final event of his first government in 2014. “You (Narendra Modi) became the Prime Minister for the first time then…,” Mr. Abdullah replied, jokingly highlighting the disparate career paths of the parties. You arrived here immediately following the election. And here, by God’s blessing, you opened the Katra train station.
You went on to win two consecutive elections and continue to serve as this nation’s prime minister. Jitendra Singh, your PMO minister of state, was also there. Manoj Sinha, our esteemed Lieutenant Governor and the then-Minister of State for Railways, was also in attendance.
“And I, as the chief minister of a full-fledged state then, stand slightly demoted,” Mr. Abdullah remarked, referring to his own status. I served as a state’s chief minister. I currently serve as a union territory’s main minister.
However, I am confident that issue will be fixed quickly. And Jammu and Kashmir will once more achieve statehood with your assistance,” Mr. Abdullah continued.
The sizable crowd applauded the chief minister’s frank appeal for the return of statehood.
After Article 370 was repealed in August 2019, the former state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized into two Union Territories: J&K and Ladakh.
Speaking at the opening of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link, the chief minister considered how much time had passed since the project’s beginning in the early 1980s.
When this initiative began, I was a student in the seventh grade. I am 55 years old today. Both of my kids have graduated from college. Pointing to the decades-long railway link between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the nation, he declared, “Now this project has been completed.”
Additionally, he emphasized the historical significance of the railway link, pointing out that even the British had failed to realize their aim of uniting Kashmir by train via Uri and Jhelum.
“However, you have accomplished today what the British were unable to do. Mr. Abdullah praised the Center’s accomplishment and stated, “The Kashmir Valley has been connected with other parts of the country.”
“I will be making a huge mistake if I do not thank Vajpayee ji on this occasion,” Abdullah stated in remembrance of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This occurred when he included it in the budget and granted it the status of a project of national importance.
Mr. Abdullah further emphasized the tremendous advantages that Jammu and Kashmir would experience as a result of the railway project.
“This initiative will be very beneficial to Jammu and Kashmir. Tourism will help it. The people of Jammu and Kashmir would gain from it,” he declared.
Additionally, the chief minister notably brought up the exorbitant airfares during road closures.
The airlines begin robbing us when the highway closes as soon as it starts to rain. Within hours, a Rs 5,000 ticket now costs Rs 20,000. However, at least the passengers’ loot will be lessened now that the rail link is complete. Abdullah went on to say that he hoped the railway line would also make it easier to carry crops like apples and cherries to marketplaces around the nation.
“With your auspicious hands, another infrastructure project has been completed in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mr. Abdullah added, acknowledging the Center’s creation of more extensive infrastructure in the region. In a similar vein, numerous more projects are progressing quickly.
He also mentioned the ongoing projects in Jammu and Kashmir, such as the extension of the airport and railway networks, the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway, the four-lane Jammu-Srinagar highway, and the ring roads in Jammu and Srinagar.
