Fresh approach needed on J&K: Modi

Striking a strident note on scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said a fresh approach on the matter was necessary as several efforts made by previous governments had failed to yield the desired results.

The Prime Minister also announced the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff, billed as the biggest military reform measure in two decades, and also urged citizens to be more responsible towards the environment by shunning use of single-use plastic and reducing the dependence on chemicals and fertilisers.

In a 92-minute Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi also made a strong pitch for creating social awareness about the challenges posed by population explosion and lauded the conscious decision of some people to have smaller families.

Donning multi-coloured headgear which had splashes of green and red in a layered pattern and a long red trail, Modi dwelt at length on the path his government plans to take over the next five years with thrust on creating infrastructure, achieving the “difficult” task of becoming a five-trillion-dollar economy and encourage citizens to explore undiscovered destinations to boost tourism.

Throughout his address, Modi made no mention of Pakistan but dwelt at length over the recent decision to strip J&K of its special status under Article 370 and split the state into two union territories.

“When we do not get the desired results there was a need to start afresh,” Modi said noting that efforts were made in the past the resolve the J&K issue.

Modi also claimed that his decisions on J&K had all-round support from across the political spectrum – some vocal and others silent.

The Prime Minister dared political opponents saying if Article 370 and 35-A were so important, why no attempts were made to make in a permanent feature, instead of its temporary nature in the Constitution.

“If you had so much conviction, you could have changed its status to permanent. But, you also knew that what had happened was not right, hence you did not have the courage to change it,” Modi said.

He said the abrogation of Article 370 was an important step in fulfilling the dream of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for a united India. “One nation, one Constitution. This has become a reality,” the prime minister announced.