Unity, love: PM's fresh bid to douse Kashmir flames

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said unity and love were the mantras to address the issues in Kashmir.

He stressed that any loss of life, whether of a youth or security personnel, in the ongoing strife in the Valley was a loss to the nation.

Speaking on the issue during his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Modi noted that certain people were trying to disrupt peace in Kashmir by involving youngsters in their nefarious designs. “Sooner or later, such people will have to give an answer to these young children for this,” he said, slamming those spreading anti-India sentiments in Kashmir. 

This comes a day after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti made an appeal to the protesters to end the violence and proposed a three-pronged strategy, including holding of dialogue with all stakeholders, after a meeting with Modi here.

“This country is very big, full of diversities. To keep it united, it is the responsibility of all of us, as individual citizens, as a society and as a government to strengthen the unity as much as we can, highlight it as much as we can. Only then can the nation achieve its bright future. I have confidence in the power of the 125 crore people of the country,” Modi said.

He appreciated the response of the political parties on the Kashmir issue, noting that they all came together and spoke in one voice. “They sent out a clear message to the world as well as the separatist forces, besides conveying our sentiments to the people of Kashmir,” the prime minister said.