JOIN USHuge crowd converge for Modi's rally in Jammu
Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi addressed a large rally in Jammu Sunday.
A Jammu and Kashmir police officer said some 50,000 people participated in the rally at M A Stadium here. On a chilly December morning, the city of temples had been wrapped in the warm hues of saffron and yellow with plastic banners and party flags appearing everywhere.
A local politician said this was the biggest rally addressed by any mainstream political leader in J&K since the eruption of militancy in 1990.
Senior state BJP leader Nirmal Singh said the rally proved wrong J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s remark that not even 500 people would gather for Modi’s rally in Kashmir.
“This rally was the best answer to Omar. Today, people from every region including Kashmir and Ladakh have shown what people of the state want,” Singh said.
“BJP will change its fortunes in J&K under Modiji’s leadership and we will change the political turf of the state. We will be a major party after the 2014 elections. And this rally is a step in that direction,” Singh said.
Local shopkeeper Hira Lal told Deccan Herald that he decided to attend the rally though he had no political soft corner for BJP.
“We want a change from the present system of governance both at the central and state level,” he said. “The UPA government has only given corruption, scams and price rise to the common man in the past 10 years. Let us give a change to Modiji as he is strict and incorruptible. He will take India to the next level and people like me will prosper,” he added.
BJP activist Mohammad Afzal, who came from Anantnag district, said Modi can resolve the long-standing Kashmir issue.
“It was during the NDA rule when Atal Bihari Vajpayee started a dialogue with Pakistan and separatists to resolve all pending issues including Kashmir. The process was stalled by the UPA government,” he said.
Afzal said BJP is better than Congress for Kashmiris. “Only Modi can take a bold decision to resolve Kashmir. This wave that you see in Jammu will soon reach Kashmir,” he said.
BJP roped in social, religious and traders associations to make the rally a success.
Traders’ Federation of Jammu member Sunil Gupta said they were excited about Modi’s rally.