PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has said his Government has made a “solemn promise” for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and will stand by it, adding the Centre was working very hard to create the right conditions. Noting that the record voter turnout in Srinagar is one of the “most gratifying things” he has seen in his tenure, Modi said people of Jammu and Kashmir have seen the NDA Government’s commitment to democracy enhancement in the region, “even at the cost of us sacrificing power for ourselves”.

 

“The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it. We are working very hard to create the right conditions so that it can be done expeditiously,” he told PTI in an exclusive interview here Sunday night. The Modi Government had abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019 and the erstwhile State was bifurcated into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. “Through the abrogation of Article 370, we today have witnessed not just the dreams and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir coming into fruition but also their enthusiasm for participating in one of the biggest festivals in any democracy -elections,” Modi said. He said the voting percentage in Srinagar, once a hotbed for all kinds of radical elements, witnessed the highest voter turnout in decades. Srinagar recorded a 36.7 per cent turnout--the highest since 1996--in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 13.

 

The world witnessed the growth and enthusiasm of the people in J&K when they welcomed the delegates from across the world during the G20 events, he added. “The progress that Jammu and Kashmir has made in the last five years gives me immense hope that we are on the right path to restore statehood. We want to institutionalise the positive changes that have taken place and make the gains irreversible so that the people of the region have to never ever witness the torrid years that generations had to bear.