The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today launched his election campaign in Jammu and Kashmir

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today launched his election campaign in Jammu and Kashmir, addressing an election rally in Kishtwar today. He asserted that politics should not be linked to communalism, and a Kashmiri is a Kashmiri, irrespective of religion.

Stating that he had come to the state every month, beginning July, he said he had a close bond with the state. He said he wanted to complete the work initiated by former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Prime Minister recalled that whenever he went to Kutch in Gujarat, he did not speak of Pakistan, but spoke of development and solving the problems of Kutch. He said Kutch had the maximum Muslim population, had severe shortage of drinking water, and lack of employment opportunities. But today, Kutch district has become the fastest developing district of India. It develops 8000 MW of power, and is a centre of steel power production and textile manufacturing.

He praised the people of Jammu and Kashmir for their honesty. He asked people who was responsible for harming the interests of the state. Will only two familes rule the state, he asked. Do the people and youth of the state not have the capability to run this state, he added. He said both these families had a pact to loot the state in successive turns. He said the time had come to change this.

He said whenever he has come to Jammu and Kashmir, since becoming PM, he came either to deliver development or to wipe the tears of people in distress. He recalled spending Diwali with the people of flood-affected Srinagar.

Let the whole world come to Kashmir once again - let us once again make such a Kashmir, the Prime Minister said, amid loud cheers from the assembled gathering. He said he wanted to bring Bollywood back to the valley.

Who is responsible for people not getting water, despite the Chenab river being nearby, the Prime Minister asked. He said state governments are well aware that 20,000MW of power can be produced in the state. He said this state has the capability to eliminate darkness of all India.

Shri Narendra Modi said he had ensured that water reached 9000 villages of Kutch from the Narmada river, through pipelines. But here, people still waited for water, despite the Chenab being nearby.

He said he had come to Jammu and Kashmir to reassure people that there would never be any shortage of funds for the state. He said the state needed a corruption-free government, that could work for the welfare of the people.

The Prime Minister recalled that he met some children from villages in Poonch-Rajouri districts recently at his home in Delhi. He said he had been impressed with the spirit of the children of Jammu and Kashmir, who had great hopes and aspirations. "Jo beet gayee so beet gayee. Ab nayee peedhi ka bhavishya banaana hai," the Prime Minister said. He said politics should not be linked to communalism. A Kashmiri is a Kashmiri, the Prime Minister asserted, saying the BJP stood for "Sabka saath. Sabka Vikas."

The Prime Minister said he wanted Jammu and Kashmir to become a major tourist destination once again.

The Prime Minister said he was committed to solving the problems of all refugees in the state, and he considered this a national responsibility (Rashtriya Kartavya).

He called upon people of the state to elect a BJP government with full majority in the forthcoming assembly elections. He called for an end to the rule of families in the state.