Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the grassroots election in Jammu and Kashmir have shown the strength of democracy in India.

Speaking about the Jammu-Kashmir District Development Council elections during a virtual address, Modi said: "These elections have shown how strong democracy is in the country. But I want to express another pain before the country... Jammu-Kashmir has conducted the three-tier Panchayati Raj system election in one year of it becoming a UT and delivered the people's right to them. Now, these elected people would decide the fate of villages and districts in Jammu-Kashmir. 

"But some people in Delhi continue to curse Modi every morning and evening, use profanity and teach lessons in democracy," he said taking a potshot at the Opposition, particularly the Congress party whose leader, Rahul Gandhi, who had mocked the "fictional democracy" in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The Prime Minister said, "After becoming a Union Territory, Jammu and Kashmir moved forward by accepting a three-tier Panchayati Raj system, while in Puducherry, despite the Supreme Court's order, panchayat and municipal elections are not happening. Those who teach democracy, their party is ruling there. The Supreme Court had ordered the elections in 2018 but the government ruling there is constantly avoiding them. The local body polls were conducted in 2006 after decades-long wait and those who were elected, their term was over in 2011."

Modi said this shows the difference between the statements and actions of political parties. The central government is constantly trying to ensure that the people of the village play the greatest role in the development of the village. From planning to implementation, more power is being given to the institutions connected with Panchayati Raj. How big is the responsibility of the panchayats to fulfil the needs of the poor, its benefits are being seen in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that electricity has reached every village. The villages have become open-defecation free. The government is engaged in the mission of providing water to every house. Strengthening local governance in Jammu and Kashmir will accelerate the development work, he added.