PM Modi launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme for health insurance coverage in Jammu and Kashmir.
Highlights
- "There are people in Delhi who always taunt and insult me," PM said
- Rahul Gandhi recently said there was "no democracy" in India
- PM Modi attacked the Congress over local body elections in Puducherry
Some people in Delhi "want to teach me lessons in democracy", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today, hitting back at top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after the latter, in his recent attack of the government and PM Modi, said there was "no democracy" in India and that those who stood up against the PM were labelled terrorists "even if it were (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat".
"There are people in Delhi who always taunt and insult me. They want to teach me lessons in democracy. I want to show them Jammu and Kashmir DDC (District Development Council) polls as an example of democracy," PM Modi said after launching the Ayushman Bharat scheme for health insurance coverage to all residents of the union territory.
"Some political forces keep lecturing on democracy but see their duplicity and hollowness. The party that rules in Puducherry hasn't conducted local body elections despite the Supreme Court's order, whereas Jammu and Kashmir held Panchayat-level polls within one year after becoming a union territory," the Prime Minister said.
He said the recent local body election in Jammu and Kashmir "strengthened roots of democracy" and congratulated voters for exercising their franchise in the eight-phase election.
"I would like to congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir for strengthening democracy. I saw how the young and the old reached the voting booths in the District Development Council (DDC) polls. The people of Jammu and Kashmir strengthened the roots of democracy in the DDC polls," PM Modi said.
In the first-ever District Development Council (DDC) polls across 20 districts in Jammu and Kashmir, the Farooq Abdullah-led Gupkar alliance, along with the Congress, won in 13 districts. The BJP won in six districts in Jammu.
The BJP, after winning for the first time in Kashmir, said "the lotus has bloomed" in the Valley.
However, days after the results, the National Conference alleged that the government is facilitating horse-trading and defections. Omar Abdullah made the remark after a local body member who won on a National Conference mandate ticket joined the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party led by former finance minister Altaf Bukhari.