Jammu, Aug 5(KNS): Congress today held a peaceful protest to express resentment over the abrogation of Special status and disbanding of the state into UT and sought restoration of full statehood and rights safeguarding rights to land & jobs for locals.
A peaceful protest was held outside party HQ shaheedi chowk to express anger over the undemocratic & unconstitutional abrogation of special status and downgrading of historical state into UT, on this day 5th Aug, 2019 and demanded restoration of rights of protection of land and hundred percent reservation to local Youth in jobs besides restoration of democracy.
Led by JKPCC President Vikar Rasool wani alongwith Working President Raman Bhalla, Yogesh Sawhney, Manmohan Singh, Gurbachan Rana, Ved Mahajan, Pawan Raina, Shashi Sharma, Gurmeet Singh, Kapil Singh, Babbal Gupta, Dwarka Chaudhary, Kamal Singh, Rajinder Jamwal, Bhanu Mahajan, Ritu Chaudhary, Narinder Gupta, Narinder Sharma, Thomas Khokhar, Suresh Dogra, Rajvir Singh, Babal Gupta, Ajay Lakhotra, Tirth Bhagat, Camres David, Parshotam Mehra, Michael Wazir and several other prominent leaders held a silent protest dharna at outside party HQ Jammu.
The protestors raised slogans against the BJP govt for downgrading the historical state and abrogation of all rights and protections to land and jobs to the people of J & K. They carried play cards demanding restoration of full rights over land and hundred percent jobs and holding of early assembly elections.
Speaking on the occasion PCC President Vikar Rasool Wani Questioned BJP and Centre Govt. as to what has changed to the betterment of people of J&K and nation, four years after August 5, 2019 decision, He said that the promise of large scale Govt. jobs and opening private sector for jobs, was a big bluff & joke with the educated youth of J&K. He said that on 5th, August 2019, J&K has lost its identity, rights and protections available to its residents which are available in various other states in the country too, in one or other form.
He questioned whether the backbone of militancy has been broken, whether the number of jobs in Govt. & private sector have increased, big industrial houses have come to J&K, the situation has normalized, KPs can safely return, the gap between hearts and distance from Kashmir and Delhi (Dil ki aur Dilon Ki Doori) has been reduced and what else has been achieved, after four years of the decision.
Shri Raman Bhalla said that the claims of BJP for opening of floodgates of private investments and creation of large scale jobs in private sector, as nothing of this sort has been witnessed. The local traders, contractors, businessmen and transporters are loosing business opportunities to outside residents, especially in Jammu region, so who has been benefitted by this decision, he questioned, while strongly criticizing the disbanding and downgrading of historical state into UT.
He said that the refusal to restore statehood, so far itself indicates that things have not normalized to the extent prior to 5th August, 2019 to restore state, which proves hollowness of the rhetoric’s and claims of BJP & Centre Govt. on the ground.
Bhalla said that all claims and adjectives used to disband and downgrade the historical state into UTs, have proved to be a failed experiment and people yearn for statehood with protections for land and jobs to the residents.
Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that Congress party shall struggle for securing these aspirations of the people and would continue to struggle till achieving the statehood and other rights, claimed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir.(KNS).