Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are taking a step towards new future today after both officially become Union Territories.

Addressing an event commemorating the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Kevadiya, PM Modi said with bifurcation, Jammu and Kashmir will have political stability and the governments formed and brought down for vested interests will stop.

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He said that Article 370 had divided Jammu and Kashmir and was the “gateway to terrorism and separatism”.

“Article 370 only gave separatism and terrorism to Jammu and Kashmir. It was the only place in the country where Article 370 was present, where in the last three decades, over 40,000 people were killed and several mothers lost their sons due to terrorism. Now, this wall of Article 370 has been demolished,” he said.

“Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are taking a step towards a new future today,” the Prime Minister added.

In a historic development, Jammu and Kashmir ceased to exist as a state from Thursday and has been officially bifurcated into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Hours after bifurcation, PM Modi dedicated the decision to repeal Article 370 to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel whose dream was to unite Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country.

He further said that the Block Development Council polls in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a high voter turnout of 98 per cent. “The voter turnout had remained high during the BDC elections given the boycott by the opposition parties, many of whose leaders still remain in detention.”

PM Modi also expressed his happiness for the government employees of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, who will start getting the benefits of the allowances approved by the Seventh Pay Commission from today, as granted to the employees of other Union Territories.

Ahead of his address, PM Modi paid tributes to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity. He then administered the pledge to all the people present, marking the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

Since 2014, October 31 is observed as the National Unity Day and people from all walks of life participate in the ”Run For Unity” event.