Security Tightened Ahead of PM Modi’s Mega Rally at Open-Air Bakshi Stadium, Srinagar on March 7

GG News Bureau

J&K, 6th March. The first visit to the Valley in five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in Srinagar on March 7th will also serve as a showcase for the altered circumstances in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) following the repeal of Article 370.

The PM’s open rally will take place at the famous Bakshi Stadium rather than the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), which is located on the Dal Lake’s edge. Modi’s 2018 and 2019 events in Srinagar took place at the SKICC, indoors under strict security with demands for a separatist strike.

This time, however, PM Modi will address the public from Bakshi Stadium, which ironically has been closed for ceremonial events since 2018 due to security concerns. After renovations, the stadium will host the Independence Day parade in August 2023.

Both in 2014 and 2015, Prime Minister Modi conducted an open rally at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium in Srinagar.

The journey takes place against the backdrop of total calm in Srinagar, the tricolour flying at Lal Chowk, and a record number of visitors to Jammu and Kashmir. Modi’s visit will highlight how J&K has changed since Article 370 was repealed.

Approximately two lakh people are anticipated, according to the BJP. Over 50,000 party flags have been flown in all of Srinagar’s main squares, along the roads that lead to the PM’s location. The PM’s speech will also be screened in Srinagar via LED screens.

In several spots throughout Srinagar, billboards wishing the prime minister a happy arrival have also appeared. “J&K was notoriously known as the capital of terrorism, but thanks to the PM’s policies, it has become the capital of tourism. In Srinagar on Tuesday, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh declared, “Corruption has ended and people are getting jobs.”

The Prime Minister had also gone on a boat ride in Dal Lake during his most recent trip to Srinagar in 2019.

The significance of the visit

The prime minister will now receive a firsthand account of the situation on the ground, as the government has been discussing “Vikas” in J&K following the repeal of Article 370. It is anticipated that his cavalcade will go through regions developed as part of the smart cities initiative. Additionally, following the revocation of J&K’s special status and the reduction of the former state to a Union Territory, this is his first speech directly to the people of Kashmir.

In addition to discussing development and the eradication of terrorism, PM Modi may criticize local political parties. It’s unclear if he will discuss the restoration of statehood and the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.

Additionally, the visit holds significance for the BJP as a party. Candidates for the three regional parliamentary seats have not yet been announced.

Nothing noteworthy has been accomplished by the BJP in the previous elections. The National Conference defeated the three candidates that the party fielded in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections: Sheikh Khalid Jehangir from Srinagar, Sofi Youssaf from Anantnag, and MM War from Baramulla.

The party would want ‘Modi’s magic’ to succeed because J&K’s political landscape has changed dramatically.

Modi had also made a daylong visit to Kashmir prior to the Lok Sabha elections, covering Leh, Jammu, and finally Kashmir.

PM’s Security Coverage

IGP SPG Rajiv Ranjan Bhagat was observed by a group of Jammu and Kashmir Police examining the venue and its environs.

According to a police source, “many checkpoints have been set up, frisking is occurring at key locations while a close eye is being kept on all the entry and exit points of the venue and the city.”

In order to prevent any IED attacks, he said, Bomb Disposal Squad teams are conducting routine checks around the venue and sniffer dogs have also been stationed at certain locations.

Initiatives to Be Started

The PM will officially open a number of development projects, including the Sonmarg ski drag lift and the integrated development of Hazratbal Shrine. Additionally, he will virtually lay the groundwork for a number of development initiatives in Kashmir.

During his one-day program, he will also meet with the recipients of government schemes and give appointment letters to the youth of Kashmir. There is also a meeting with the martyrs’ families on the cards. Home Minister Amit Shah has made sure in the past that he visits these families prior to starting his program in the Valley.