Key Points

Ahmedabad (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], August 1 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who recently visited the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, said that he believed travel broadens the horizons & the mind and that tourism plays a crucial part in India's economy, and the industry has the potential to employ lakhs of people.

Abdullah responded to the social media post by PM Narendra Modi lauding the National Conference (NC) leader for his visit to the Statue of Unity, calling it an inspiring gesture that promotes national unity and encourages domestic tourism.

In a post on X, Omar Abdullah wrote on Friday, "I'm a firm believer that travel broadens the horizons & the mind @narendramodi ji. It's especially important for us in J&K as tourism is a crucial part of our economy & has the potential to gainfully employ lakhs of people. That's why I & my colleagues are trying to convince more of our fellow Indians to visit J&K, especially after the tragic events earlier this year."

Abdullah is on a two-day visit to Gujarat. As part of his itinerary, he visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad this morning.

After visiting the Sabarmati Ashram, Abdullah in a post on X wrote, "My visit to Ahmedabad is now complete. I feel both humbled & privileged to have been shown around the Sabarmati Ashram of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. His teachings ring true even today & point us in the direction we should take, but seldom do."

He further wrote, "True democracy cannot be worked by twenty men sitting at the centre. It has to be worked from below by the people of every village" - Mahatma Gandhi."

During the visit, J&K CM also tried his hand at the Charkha (a hand-operated spinning wheel, traditionally used for creating yarn from fibres like cotton). Charkha is seen as a symbol of the Indian independence movement, and it resembles Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of self-reliance and non-violence.

"I was also able to try my hand with a Charkha. I had a very patient teacher who tried to teach me to spin cotton in the same way that Gandhi ji did decades ago", said J&K CM.

On Thursday, Omar Abdullah visited the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadia, Gujarat, and praised the project for bringing water to drought-affected areas. CM Abdullah also expressed optimism that with the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, similar projects could be considered for Jammu and Kashmir, to address the water and power shortage.

Speaking to the reporters, Omar Abdullah said, "This dam has brought water to areas that knew nothing but drought... It has been J&K's misfortune that we could not even imagine such projects because we were not allowed to stop the water. Now that the Indus Water Treaty has been suspended, maybe there will be some such project in J&K too, so that there will be no shortage of power or water and electricity."

The chief minister also visited the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, expressing his admiration, and said, "I had no idea that the Statue of Unity would be so magnificent. It is a true tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and a great identity for the new India."

Earlier on Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah paid a courtesy visit to Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar.

The J-K Chief Minister arrived in Gujarat for a tourism fair, a step to attract a significant number of tourists from the state. Speaking on his visit, CM Omar Abdullah said that there are three states, including Gujarat, from where the maximum number of tourists reach Jammu and Kashmir.

"Looking at the last 30-35 years, since tourism began, three states have been the primary sources of tourists to J&K: Gujarat, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. My team and I have come here for a tourism fair, to speak on behalf of J-K, hoping to see a good number of tourists from Gujarat very soon," he said.

- ANI