Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday called the development in Jammu and Kashmir as the biggest achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and further claimed that each sector of the Union Territory has got a common allocation.
"It is the biggest achievement of PM Modi that in 70 years, each division of J-K has a common allocation for the proposed development projects," Union Minister Jitendra Singh said while reacting to Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) chief Farooq Abdullah's response to the challenge of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Shah, during his public address in J-K's Baramullah on Wednesday, took a dig at the Gupkar alliance and openly challenged the JKNC to present a 'report card' regarding the development projects in the Union Territory, during its tenure of governance.
Abdullah responded to Union Home Minister with a long list of the achievements of JKNC from Independence to 2014, while the party's vice president Omar Abdullah revealed the details of the projects.
In a conversation with ANI, Jitendra Singh further said that even before the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and declaration of J-K into two separate entities, PM Modi used to ensure that all the people's concerns are addressed sensitively in Srinagar and Leh in Jammu, as earlier there was a complaint that either part of J-K was getting more attention.
"Ever since the government has achieved full control over the UT, people here are now free of that mentality," Singh said.
He further added that development in the Union Territory has balanced after PM Modi resumed several development schemes and projects that had been lying pending for 50 years.
Laying down the schemes, the Union Minister said, "The restart of the project of Shahpur Kandi in Kathua near the International border by the intervention of PM Modi, which was halted for nearly 40 years, has been proven beneficial for both Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Its first phase will begin to function in a month or two."
Alleging the JKNC of "selective development", Jitendra Singh said that developing the regions by considering your vote bank and not prioritising the others is against the values of democracy.
"The development here is balanced since Modiji came to power as no one was asked about their caste or religion for providing the beneficial schemes before their implementation. Raising high above the politics of religion and vote bank, PM Modi has given a new shape to the work culture because of which J-K has not only become a part of mainstream India but will also contribute to the PM-led campaigns," he said.
"No matter what the political parties in J-K say, the common man of the UT wants to get rid of stone pelting, terrorism, and fire fighting and the development to move forward under the Prime Minister's leadership," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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