Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that lack of proper sanitation facilities for girls in the schools was the reason behind their leaving the education midway and attacked Congress for "ignoring" the issue in the last 60 years.

"When the girl student reaches the age where she realises this (lack of female toilets in the school) she leaves her education midway. As they leave their education midway they remain uneducated. "Our daughters must also get equal chance to quality education," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing an election rally here today in support of party candidates. Criticising opposition parties for targeting him for giving priority to "minor issues", Modi said that, he gives priority to the issues which he feels were ignored for the past 60 years.

"They ignored these issues for the past 60 years and that is why the country suffered. "After 60 years of independence there should have been separate toilets for girl students in every school. But for the past 60 years they could not provide separate toilets to girls and as result the female students had to leave their education midway," Modi said. He said that the lack of proper sanitation at every household was a cause of concern that he wanted to address.

"Our daughters and sisters face such a humiliation when they have to go out, they wait for the dark for this purpose as they have to go in the open. They too have a right to self-respect, every household should get a toilet. "They (Congress) had no time for this, but this is my mission to provide this facility to our women," Modi said. The Prime Minister said that his government was committed to provide the people of the state a chance of quality education and generate employment avenues for the youth of the state. "I don't want the children to leave their elderly parents and move outside in search of jobs, the BJP government will be committed to provide education avenues to the youth of the state," Modi said.

Modi, who became the first prime minister in almost 40 years to visit this bordering district of Poonch, said that development was his 'mantra' to address the issues being faced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "From Poonch, I promise the people of Jammu and Kashmir that we will fulfil your dreams and will bring development here," Modi said while addressing an election rally here today. Morarji Desai visited this bordering township about 40 years ago. And after the long gap, Modi today addressed a rally in Poonch district situated on the Line of Control. He promised to bring train service to this mountainous region. "You don't have train connectivity, give us a chance and you will be connected with the rest of the country," he said.

Modi said that if given a chance he will make Jammu and Kashmir the "number one state" in terms of development. "We will do our part and you have to do your part by giving us an absolute majority. Give us absolute majority and we will give you absolute development. "The things that did not happen in the past 60 years, I promise to make those happen in the next five years," Modi said. "I don't want the children to leave their elderly parents and move outside in search of jobs, the BJP government will be committed to provide education avenues to the youth of the state," Modi said. While referring to the development in Kutch district in Gujarat when he was the chief minister, Modi said if Kutch can be developed, Jammu and Kashmir too could be developed.

"When I went to Kutch after becoming the chief minister of Gujarat, I decided to do something for the region. "The area is situated along the India-Pakistan border and have the largest Muslim population of the state (Gujarat), I undertook the development work in the area and today people there have 24 hours of electricity, water supply and all other facilities," he said. Modi said that the district of Kutch has become one of the fastest developing districts in the country.

"The people have factories producing iron pipes spread over an area of 15 sq km in Kutch. "The power production in less than 10 kilometer area of the district is much more than the entire power produced in the state of Jammu and Kashmir," he said. Modi said he wanted to do similar things for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "Give me a chance, press the button of Lotus. BJP and I have come to fulfil your dreams," he said.

He said that Jammu and Kashmir was blessed with tremendous natural beauty and he wants to tap the potential to generate employment for the people of the state. "You are blessed with natural resources and I am ready to develop those. I am sure you people will make history."The power of democracy will give you development," Modi said. He said that it was after 30 years that a strong and decisive government was set up in the Centre and that only a strong and decisive government in Jammu and Kashmir can fulfil the developmental aspirations of the people of the state.