PM likely to visit J&K after BJP’s working group meeting, national convention
PM likely to visit J&K after BJP’s working group meeting: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir any day after the BJP working Group meeting, which is scheduled for February 17 and 18 in New Delhi.
Party sources told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of development works running into thousands of crores during his day long visit to Jammu. He is also scheduled to address a rally in Jammu during which he kick-starts BJP’s campaign for Lok Sabha elections, which are scheduled to be held between April and May this year.
“The ruling BJP has convened a national convention in Bharat Mandapam for February 17-18, coinciding with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The convention will feature a two-day key meeting, inaugurated by party president JP Nadda, and concludes with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s closing address. After the convention, Prime Minister likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir,” party sources said
They added that as per tentative schedule Prime Minister is likely to visit Jammu as well as Srinagar on February 20, but the tour schedule is being finalized and is expected to be released in the next couple of days.
The Prime Minister is likely to address a massive rally in Jammu besides inaugurating a series of development projects including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Vijaypur in Samba, the highest Railway Bridge, which will link Kashmir with rest of the country by rail this year, in Reasi district, Devika Rejuvenation project at Udhampur, IIM Jammu and Shahpur Kandi Redevelopment Plan .
A number of other projects have also been identified for inauguration while Modi will also lay the foundation stone of various other development works in Jammu and Kashmir. Inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony of projects is expected to be done from one place.
The train to the Valley will take a few more months but there is a proposal to run trains beyond Banihal i.e. up to Khari where nearly 40 kilometres of track is almost ready and security inspection has been completed.
Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir could boost BJP’s prospectus in the Union Territory ahead of Lok Sabha elections as the party this time is eyeing three seats instead of two that it won for two consecutive terms in 2014 and 2019. Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma won Udhampur and Jammu seats in last two Lok Sabha polls.
However, this time, the BJP is eyeing third seat Anantnag-Poonch-Rajouri which has large number of Pahari votes to whom the Government accorded ST status in the just concluded Parliament session—(KNO)