JAMMU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that terrorism is taking its last breath in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and emphasized his commitment to foster a safe, prosperous, and terror-free J&K while reiterating his government’s promise of restoring statehood.

Addressing a massive election rally in support of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in the Doda district of the Jammu region, PM Modi said, "Terrorism is breathing its last in Jammu & Kashmir. There was a time when shops used to close down at sunset. The situation was such that the Congress home minister feared visiting Lal Chowk."

The PM’s statement was in reference to Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde, the former Union Home Minister, who, at the launch of his memoir, recently said he used to be scared of venturing out in the Kashmir Valley during the Congress-led UPA government.

PM Modi said, "The youth of J&K used to face the brunt of terrorism. The positive change witnessed in the past 10 years is nothing less than a dream. The stones that were pelted at forces are now used to create a new Jammu & Kashmir."

The BJP candidates fighting elections from eight assembly segments in Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban districts were present on the dais along with PM Modi and other senior leaders, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh.

From the Kishtwar constituency, the party candidate Shagun Parihar (29), whose father Ajit Parihar and uncle Anil Parihar were shot dead by terrorists in November 2018, is fighting elections. Referring to her, PM Modi said, “Shagun is sitting on the dais, whose father and uncle were killed by terrorists. The BJP gave a ticket to this daughter, a terror victim. She is not only a candidate but is a living picture of our determination to root out terrorism (from Jammu and Kashmir).”

Asking people to compare the NC-Congress manifesto with the BJP’s poll promises, PM Modi said, “You should know what they are saying and what its outcome will be. The NC, Congress, and PDP are talking of the restoration of Article 370.

“What does it mean to you? It implies that the three families will take away your reservations, deprive those who have been given voting rights after decades of waiting, and also snatch the rights of daughters and sisters by bringing back Article 35A.

“If their manifesto gets implemented, schools will start burning again, stones will be back in children’s hands, strikes will affect business, and the youth will be jobless. Do you want them to bring those frightening days back?”

He also said that the BJP wants to make J&K free of terrorism and a heaven for tourists. He expressed confidence that the older days, when film shootings were popular in the region, especially in Bhaderwah, would come back. "I am reminded of the old days when shooting for films was halted after the eruption of terrorism, as filmmakers stopped coming to this place. After 10 years of hard work, we are not only seeking to bring back filmmakers of our country to this place, but we are also working in the direction of paving the way for international filmmakers to come here," he said.