Srinagar: Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Thursday arrived in Srinagar to participate in the ‘Viksit Bharat, Viksit Jammu Kashmir’ programme during which he would unveil multiple development projects worth more than Rs 6,400 crore, and address a public meeting, officials told PTI.
This is the Modi’s first visit to the Kashmir valley after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
He landed at the Srinagar airport and then flew to Badamibagh Cantonment, the headquarters of the Army’s 15 or Chinar Corps, the officials told the news agency.
They said at the Badamibagh Cantonment, Modi would lay a wreath at the War Memorial and pay tributes to slain armed forces personnel. Modi would then drive to Bakshi Stadium — the venue of the event.
However, former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, on their social media handles have claimed that thousands of government employees were coerced to attend Modi’s rally. They said the crowd is not there by choice but due to coercive measures by the administration.
