Need to heal Kashmir’s wounds: Modi at first rally after elevation

Zee Media Bureau

Pathankot: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed his first public rally in Madhopur in Punjab on Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee`s Death aniversary after being elevated as the BJP’s election campaign committee chief. Modi talked about the need to "heal the wounds of Kashmir" and connect its aspiring youths with the national mainstream for the development of the state. Often described by critics as a divisive figure, Modi sought to portray himself as a leader who unifies, saying he would work for bringing parties and hearts together. Addressing a rally here, Modi invoked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said the task he left incomplete would be pursued by BJP if voted to power. He attacked the UPA government over its Kashmir policy, economy and national security, saying it has failed on all fronts. "These days, the Congress party and the rupee are in a competition - to fall. Everyday, they are in competition on who is falling more," Modi said. "The ads worth millions and billions are not being shown in the last 10 days. I had questioned the campaign," he asserted. "Vajpayee had sought to win over the heart of Kashmir with compassion, love and dialogue...Had he been elected to power in 2004, he would have succeeded in his Kashmir policy," he said. Kashmiri youths were aspiring for development and progress and they needed to be connected with the national mainstream. "The youths in Kashmir valley want to be part of development. Guns can spill blood but will do no good to one`s life," he said on the occasion of party founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee`s 60th death anniversary. He slammed the Congress for not giving Dr Mukherjee the status of a martyr, saying that the Congress never recongnised Dr Mukherjee as a martyr. Targeting the Congress, Modi said that the country is not in the safe hands of the ruling party. "The future of the people of this country is not secure in the hands of the Congress," Modi said. While addressing the rally, Modi also spoke about the devastation in the rain-ravaged Uttarakhand, saying, “I could feel the pain of those stranded there.” “The Uttarakhand tragedy is devastating, people there have lost everything, hundreds of lives have been lost. The country with stand with the people of Uttarakhand in this time of distress.” The rally was held to mark the 60th death anniversary of Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mookherjee in this town along the Punjab-Jammu and Kashmir border. While the top national leadership of the BJP gave a miss to the rally, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and BJP leader Shanta Kumar were present on the occasion. (With agency inputs)