Congress Critiques Modi's Acknowledgment of Railway Project Ahead of Chenab Bridge Inauguration
Congress Highlights Governance Continuity in Railway Project
On Friday, the Congress party characterized the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line as a testament to ongoing governance, which they claim Prime Minister Narendra Modi has overlooked due to his desire for personal recognition.
This remark was made just before Modi's inauguration of the Chenab Bridge, recognized as the highest railway arch bridge globally, which is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link.
In a post on social media, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh emphasized that effective governance entails significant continuity, a reality he asserts is routinely ignored by the prime minister.
Ramesh noted, “This is particularly evident in the execution of highly complex developmental initiatives.”
The 272-kilometer railway project, which traverses the Himalayas, was approved in March 1995 during the tenure of Congress Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. It was designated a national project in 2002 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was then Prime Minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Ramesh also recounted various rail link inaugurations conducted by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from 2005 to 2013 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, which included routes such as Jammu-Udhampur and Anantnag-Mazhom.
“By June 26, 2013, the 135 km rail link connecting Baramulla and Qazigund was operational,” Ramesh stated.
Since 2014, the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal has been completed, although many significant contracts, including that for the Chenab Bridge, were awarded as early as 2005, Ramesh added.
As the PM visits J&K today, here is our statement on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) that, like BrahMos, is a powerful example of continuity in governance which he never acknowledges but cannot run away from. pic.twitter.com/sAfgdBE8D5
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 6, 2025
Omar Abdullah Calls for Restoration of Statehood
During the inauguration of several development projects, including the Chenab Bridge and the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah raised the issue of reinstating statehood to the Union Territory in the presence of Modi.
“The same four individuals were present during the inauguration of the Katra railway station in 2014,” Abdullah remarked. “While the then Minister of State for Railway, Manoj Sinha, was elevated to the position of Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor, I was demoted from chief minister of a state to chief minister of a Union Territory.”
He expressed his belief that Jammu and Kashmir would regain statehood under Modi's leadership.
#WATCH | Katra, J&K | CM Omar Abdullah says, "... I have been fortunate to be associated with the Prime Minister in all railway projects in J&K. First, when Anantnag Railway Station was inaugurated. Second, when the Banihal Railway Tunnel was inaugurated... The same four people… pic.twitter.com/35WzxGSSMT
— Media Channel (@MediaChannel) June 6, 2025
The BJP-led government revoked Article 370, which granted special status to the former state, in August 2019, and divided it into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
In December 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 and instructed the Centre to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The alliance between the National Conference and Congress secured victory in the Assembly elections in the Union Territory in October, leading to Abdullah's appointment as chief minister. These elections marked the first in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade and the first since the abrogation of Article 370.