JAMMU, Feb 16: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting Northern Command Headquarters at Udhampur on February 24, his second visit to the Jammu region in less than two months, during which he will inaugurate new building of the Command Hospital and interact with top Army Commanders on prevailing situation in the Union Territory.
Official sources told that Rajnath will be visiting the Northern Command Headquarters in Udhampur on February 24 on a day’s visit and there is no programme of the Defence Minister scheduled in the Jammu region. His visit will come just four days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tour to Jammu on February 20.
Besides Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari are also likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir in March-April.
“The Defence Minister is scheduled to inaugurate new building of Command Hospital in Northern Command Headquarters on February 24 followed by his address to the Army officers and jawans,” the sources said.
The Command Hospital has been treating the Army personnel for quite a long time and now it will be able to serve them better after inauguration of new building.
The Defence Minister is likely to interact with top Army Commanders at the Northern Command to take detailed briefing on security situation in Jammu and Kashmir especially the Valley and Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan besides Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Eastern Ladakh.
This will be second visit of Rajnath Singh to the Jammu region in less than two months and third in nearly five months.
He visited the border district of Rajouri on December 27 nearly a week after terror strike at Dera Ki Gali (DKG) in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district in which five Army soldiers were martyred followed by mysterious killing of three civilians. He reviewed the security situation post terror attack and civilian killings.
He had also attended North Tech Symposium in Jammu on September 11 last year.
“The visit of Rajnath Singh is apolitical as he will not be attending any BJP function or meeting this time,” the sources said but added that his name figured among the senior Ministers who are likely to campaign for the party candidates during Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir scheduled to be held in April-May.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari are also expected to visit the Union Territory in April-May. BJP president JP Nadda’s tour to the UT is also being explored.
A number of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders left Jammu and Kashmir today to attend party’s two-day National Council meeting in New Delhi on February 17 and 18 which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah among others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will sound poll bugle for the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir during his February 20 rally at MA Stadium.
The sources said that Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir could boost BJP’s prospects in the Union Territory ahead of Lok Sabha election as the party is eyeing three seats out of five this time.
BJP for two consecutive terms in 2014 and 2019 won two Lok Sabha seats from Jammu region.
Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh won the Udhampur-Kathua seat and Jugal Kishore Sharma won Jammu-Poonch seat in the last two Lok Sabha polls.
The party this time is eyeing third seat Anantnag-Poonch-Rajouri which has a large number of Pahari votes to whom the Government accorded ST status in the just concluded Parliament session.
Meanwhile, tight security is in place for the smooth conduct of the Prime Minister’s rally.
All vehicles passing nearby the venue-located in the heart of Jammu city-are being frisked and special check posts are installed along the River Tawi bank-adjacent to the M A Stadium.
“Security forces are on alert and are maintaining vigil around the venue while barricades are also erected and the entrants at the venue are being allowed to move only after complete frisking,” said a senior police official.
