Dedication of the Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna, renovated by India, to the people of Sri Lanka

A discussion with the political parties of Jammu-Kashmir under the leadership of the Hon'ble Prime Minister has just ended. This has been a very positive effort towards the development and strengthening of democracy in Jammu-Kashmir. The meeting took place in a very cordial atmosphere. All the participants expressed their full allegiance to the democracy of India and the Constitution of India.

The Home Minister apprised all the leaders of the improvement in the situation in Jammu-Kashmir.

The Prime Minister listened to every party’s arguments and suggestions with all seriousness and he appreciated the fact that all the people's representatives shared their point of view with an open mind. The Prime Minister laid special emphasis on two important issues in the meeting. He said that we all have to work together to take democracy to the grassroots in Jammu-Kashmir. Secondly, there should be all-round development in Jammu-Kashmir and development should reach every region and every community. It is necessary that there should be an atmosphere of cooperation and public participation.

Hon'ble Prime Minister also pointed out that elections to Panchayati Raj and other local bodies have been successfully held in Jammu-Kashmir. There is improvement in the security situation. About 12,000 crore rupees have directly reached the panchayats after the conclusion of elections. This has accelerated the pace of development in the villages.

The Prime Minister said that we have to approach the next important step related to the democratic process in Jammu-Kashmir i.e. assembly elections. The process of delimitation has to be completed expeditiously so that every region and every section gets adequate political representation in the assembly. It is necessary to give a proper representation to the Dalits, backwards and people living in tribal areas.

There was a detailed discussion in the meeting regarding the participation of everybody in the process of delimitation. All the parties present in the meeting have agreed to participate in this process.

The Prime Minister also emphasized the cooperation of all the stakeholders to take Jammu-Kashmir on the path of peace and prosperity. He said that Jammu-Kashmir is moving out of the vicious circle of violence and moving towards stability. New hope and new confidence have emerged among the people of Jammu-Kashmir.

The PM also said that we will have to work day and night to strengthen this trust and work together to improve this confidence. Today's meeting is an important step for strengthening the democracy and the development and prosperity of Jammu-Kashmir. I thank all the political parties for attending today's meeting.

Thanks