PM to address rallies in Jammu today

Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 15

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Jammu tomorrow for his last election rallies to garner support for the BJP ahead of the fifth and last phase of the elections on December 20.

Modi has so far addressed seven rallies in the state, six in the Jammu region and one in the Valley. He addressed the only poll rally in Srinagar on December 8.

With Tuesday’s two rallies, one in Billawar in Kathua district and another in Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu, Modi will have addressed nine rallies in the state.

Interestingly, Modi had at his Lalkar rally at Maulana Azad Stadium in December last year talked about Article 370, saying there should be a debate on the merits and demerits of the Article that grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir. He had said: “There would be discussions on Article 370 with a commitment to abrogate it.” Later, this was incorporated into the BJP’s manifesto for the parliamentary elections.

On the first day of the Modi government earlier this year, Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh had claimed that discussions had started with the stakeholders on the fate of Article 370, the statement which he later withdrew.