J&K, Ladakh officially UTs; historic, says PM
REORGANISATION Strong link of trust built, says Modi; Valley observes shutdown
NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was formally bifurcated into two Union territories with the swearing in of lieutenant governors in Srinagar and Leh on Thursday, in a historic move that was celebrated in Ladakh, cautiously welcomed in Jammu, but drew a muted response in the Kashmir valley.
Girish Chandra Murmu took oath as the first LG of J&K in a low-key ceremony at Srinagar’s Raj Bhavan at around 12.30pm that was televised across India, bringing the curtain down on the formerly princely state that enjoyed special provisions and constitutional protections for 72 years. Earlier in the day, RK Mathur was sworn in as the first LG of Ladakh in Leh. Chief justice of the J&K high court, Gita Mittal, administered the oath of office to both LGs.
The event was hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, with the former saying the decision to nullify Article 370 and bifurcate the state will bring political stability and end corruption in the region. “The new system in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is not meant to draw a line on the land but to build a strong link of trust,” Modi said at a ceremony in Gujarat to mark the birth anniversary of Vallabhbhai Patel, the first home minister of India.
Modi said Patel inspired him to effectively revoke Article 370 and added that unity in diversity was India’s strength.
“The country took the decision to scrap Article 370, which had only given separatism and terrorism to that state,” he added.
Shah said that Article 370, which gave special status to J&K, and 35A, which gave special privileges to its residents, were gateways of terrorism that had now been closed.
The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, passed in Parliament in early August, says J&K will be a UT with an elected legislative assembly and a chief minister, while Ladakh will be governed by the LG and have two hill development councils.
KEVADIYA (GUJARAT): Paying tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the National Unity Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday defended the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the special status provision only bred terrorism in the erstwhile state. He also hailed India’s unity in diversity, calling it the biggest challenge for the country’s enemies.
Attending a function at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat on Patel’s 144th birth anniversary, Modi led the gathering in taking the ‘national unity pledge’ on National Unity Day.
“The new system in J&K and Ladakh is not meant to draw a line on the land (to draw a boundary) but to build a strong link of trust,” the Prime Minister said in the wake of the bifurcation of the state into Union Territories, which came into existence on October 31.
Inspired by Patel, his government is working for “emotional, economic and constitutional integration” of the country, without which it would be difficult to imagine a powerful India in the 21st century, he said. In a swipe at Pakistan, he said those “who cannot win wars” against India are trying to destroy its unity. “The country took the decision to scrap Article 370 (which provided special status to J&K), which had only given separatism and terrorism to that state,” Modi said.
“Over 40,000 people lost their lives in three decades of terrorism,” he said, adding it was Patel’s inspiration which made him take the decision to revoke Article 370.
The PM said he dedicates the Centre’s August 5 decision to scrap the controversial provision of the Constitution “at the feet of” independent India’s first home minister. “That wall [Article 370] was promoting separatism and terrorism. I am here today to humbly tell Sardar Patel that the wall has been demolished,” he said.
“North-East is now moving from separatism to attachment as decades-old problems are nearing resolution,” Modi said, referring to his government’s initiatives to bring peace to the insurgency-affected region.
Without naming Pakistan, Modi said that some elements are trying to destroy the unity in diversity of India by spreading separatism and terrorism, but even after “trying for centuries, nobody could annihilate us or defeat us”. “The greatest challenge of the 21st century for our enemies is to destroy this unity in diversity,” he said.
“India is different from other countries. We celebrate diversity. We do not see any contradictions in diversity. We see unity in it,” he said. “When we respect traditions and beliefs of different sects and religions, love and attachment (among people) increase,” the PM said.
He watched `Ekta parade’ in which personnel of the Gujarat Police, Jammu & Kashmir Police, Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force took part.
Addressing young IAS officers at a separate function in Kevadiya called ‘Aarambh’, the PM asked them to work together for the nation, saying silos and hierarchy don’t help the system.
He called for working towards realing the vision of making India a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25.