Marking the fifth anniversary of the reading down of Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the step as a “watershed moment in the nation’s history” that started “a new era of progress” in the Union Territory.
“I assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh that our government will keep working for them and fulfil their aspirations in the coming times,” Mr. Modi said in a post on social media platform X.
He said the move to scrap the provisions meant that the Constitution of India was implemented at these places in letter and spirit, in line with the vision of the great men and women who had made the Constitution.
“With abrogation came security, dignity and opportunity for women, youth, backward, tribal and marginalised communities, who were deprived of the fruits of development. At the same time, it has ensured that corruption, which plagued Jammu and Kashmir for decades, has been kept at bay,” he added.
On August 5, 2019, the Modi Government abrogated Article 370, which had provided special rights to the then State of Jammu and Kashmir, and divided it into two Union Territories, by introducing and having Bills cleared in Parliament. Five years after that day, Assembly elections are due to be held in Jammu and Kashmir at the end of September.
