Jammu and Kashmir will become a state again but after some time, reveals Prime Minister Narendra Modi

• Two days after Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were brought directly under the central government's control, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to make a special address to the nation.
• Modi also said that the Union Territory status of Jammu and Kashmir is a temporary measure and the state will get its own assembly as soon as possible.
• While the contentious decision has been contested by his rivals, both houses of the Indian Parliament have approved the Presidential order that redefined Jammu and Kashmir's political status.
• Article 370 and Article 35A had given nothing but terrorism, separatism, dynasty politics, and corruption," he said.

Two days the state of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Ladakh region, were split into two Union Territories, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed that this is a temporary measure only. While Ladakh will remain under the direct control of the central government, Jammu and Kashmir will get to hold its elections once again and elect a local leader.

To those who oppose the move to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir -- provisions that allowed the state to make its own laws -- Modi said that he respects their right to disagree but urged them to keep aside the differences in 'national interest'.

This speech has come two days after the central government wrested direct control over the volatile Jammu and Kashmir state by disbanding the province into two Union Territories namely Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, first through a Presidential order and later got it ratified by the Parliament.

Watch Prime Minister Narendra Modi's full speech here:


He assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that the situation in the region will come back to normal as soon as possible and promised that there will be no obstacle in the upcoming Eid celebrations next week.

In his address, PM Modi said that "Article 370 and Article 35A had given nothing but terrorism, separatism, dynasty politics, and corruption." He also added that Pakistan had been using this as a weapon to push its agenda in Kashmir and that over 42,000 people lost their lives in the process.

Modi also said that the women of Kashmir were denied equal rights, poor workers did not not get the benefit of India's minimum wage laws, and socially marginalised Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were deprived of the benefits of the central government's affirmative action.

He also promised state benefits, for government employees including the Police in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in Ladakh, like leave travel allowance, house rent allowance, and allowance for children's education among others.

"We have removed the obstacles to the development of Jammu and Kashmir," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his special address to the nation, which will also be aired on the state-owned All India Radio.

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Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh will now be two separate Union Territories