Digivijaya, Ghulam Nabi Azad laud PM Modi's promp action on Kashmir floods

New Delhi: Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Ghulam Nabi Azad today lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “prompt action” and “quick response” in dealing with the massive flood crisis in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Commend the rescue by DMRF, Army, Police and Security Forces in J&K and also GOI and PM for prompt action and reaching out to people in PoK,” Congress general secretary Digivijaya Singh, a known detractor of Modi, said on Twitter.

Talking to PTI, Azad, who had spoken to Modi on the matter on Saturday, said, “I had spoken to the Prime Minister. I am very happy with his response.

“He (Modi) was very quick to visit the state and announce a package of Rs 1,000 crore.”

Modi announced the special assistance package for J-K after undertaking a day-long visit to the state yesterday to review the situation in the flood-affected areas there.

Azad, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and a former J-K chief minister, said he hoped the Centre would continue to support the relief and rehabilitation measures with unwavering enthusiasm.

He said that the relief package was welcome but, given the scale of the devastation, the state would require many thousands of crores of rupees for the reconstruction of the infrastructure which has been destroyed in the flood.

“I am sure the initial response by the Prime Minister to the flood situation will continue to hold. I hope, trust and believe in that.

“We expect the Prime Minister’s support will continue with the same enthusiasm,” said Azad.

He said that whatever infrastructure was created in the state over a period of 18 years since the 1996 elections – which had brought an end to the long spell of Governor’s Rule in J-K – seems to have been totally destroyed in the floods.

Thousands of houses in J-K have been damaged and hundreds of small and big bridges washed away in the calamity.

“Of course, at the moment, the top priority for both the Centre and the state government is rescue and rehabilitation of the people who are totally cut off, not only from the rest of the state but also from one another,” he said.

Singh, meanwhile, also said he will donate one month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for Flood Relief.

“We all must reach out to help the Flood Victims in J&K,” he said in another tweet.

PTI