RS Pura February 14:(KNS) Continuing membership drive with the slogan “ Aayo Chalein Congress Ke Sath, Badlein Pradesh Ke Halaat” in RS Pura on Monday organized by JKPCC SC Department Chairman, Karan Bhagat JKPCC Chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir alongwith JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla attacked the BJP-led central government for allegedly failing to protect people's jobs and lands in the union territory. Lambasting the government, he claimed that without an elected government, Jammu and its people were being neglected and overlooked. Prominent among those present on the occasion include NSUI National President Neeraj Kudan, General Secretary Manmohan Singh, Vice Chairman Gurdarshan Singh, OBC Chairmen Suresh Dogra, Ex Youth President Pranav Shagotra, Transport Department Chairmen Gajan Singh, PCC Secretary Sanjeev Panda, Sr. Vice president Distt Rural Sarpanch Ravinder Singh, former MP TS Bajwa, Vice President Distt, Mohan Ch, Rural Block President Sham Mehra, Block President Kuldeep Bhagat, Sunil Dutt, Pawan Bhagat, Diwan Chand, Sahil Shavotra, Madam Susma, Sarpanch Bachan Singh, Sarpanch Harbansh Lal, Sarpanch Rajinder singh beside others.
According to a statment issued to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Mir claimed that "today democracy in the union territory is facing onslaught from no other than the ruling party itself. Ideally, political and ideological differences should have been put aside while dealing with the sensitive region," he said. The major stress of the government should have been on assuaging misery of the unemployed youth who have grown up in conflict. He expressed utter disappointment over BJP’s lip service regarding burning issues of J&K and termed their governance as futile exercise to reach out to the common man and address public issues. He said BJP Govt is turning a blind eye towards the apprehensions and concerns of people of J&K, especially Jammu region. Taking a dig at Union Govt, Mir claimed that Jammu region is reeling under shortage of various basic requirements but Govt is unmoved. He said Govt lacks approach which is based on consistency, clarity, conviction and creating only mess making people to suffer unnecessarily without any fault of theirs. JKPCC reminded BJP of fate of ambitious and prestigious developmental projects of Jammu where party did nothing in implementation of the flagship programme of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna, designed to provide continuous power supply to rural areas, Artificial River Tawi Lake Project and its allied project with regard to beautification of the Suryaputri water body, Smart City Project.
Mir observed that BJP regime has antagonized all sections of people whether it is the youth, government employees, women or even children, this government has hurt every section of the society. Making a sketching attack on BJP, he regretted that people of the Jammu region are back stabbed by BJP leadership as the party has brazenly abandoned its core agenda and has adopted indifferent approach towards problems of the masses. Expressing his anguish over mounting problems of the common masses, Mir said that during last seven years union govt has done nothing to solve basic problems of the people and added , “Claims of Gov are confined only on papers”.He said Government has totally lost its credibility due to its mis-governance, which led to the failure of government on all the fronts. He said problems like lack of basic amenities, unemployment and inflation in the J&K forced the common man to live in miserable conditions. Mir said that majority of people during interaction maintained that no new developments but only facelifts of previous works were done in the area.”BJP was in power at the Centre and in the erstwhile J&K State too, it was easy for the party to forward issues of common masses through their Government in J&K to the Union Ministry concerned, for mitigating the sufferings of people but they took them casually,” Mir said.
Mir said from national issues like skyrocketing fuel and food prices and the pandemic that went of out of control, to regional issues specific to Jammu including economic exploitation in the name of toll plazas, taxes and ending of Darbar move to corruption and scams, the people have had to deal with a lot. There is zero focus on development, the Infrastructure is dying out, and people are being denied basic civic amenities like power and water. So, there is an urgent need for decentralisation of power so that a leadership that is more privy to the issues of the region can address them and resolve them. He added that the Congress party will keep fighting for statehood and for the best interests of people of J&K until it is done.
Bhalla in his address pointed out that there was total chaos and confusion among people as BJP leadership has failed to remove peoples’ apprehensions. “On the one hand, there is complete uncertainty in J&K, while on the other hand people are confronting with failure of the administration to solve day today problems”, he said, adding that various parts of J&K are facing scarcity of basic amenities and dilapidated condition of lanes.“Even after considerable time since Panchayat elections, the development activities in rural areas have come to a standstill due to non-availability of funds. Panchayats are virtually defunct and rural populace is crying for development,” Bhalla said.He alleged that Back to Village Programme’ of the Union Government turned merely flop show as the works projected by different Panchayats and local villagers across the Jammu and Kashmir during three phase of Back to Village Programme’ could not be implemented till date.Panchayats are not being taken into confidence or involved in the programme. He reiterated party’s pledge to continue his crusade against the discrimination unless all the aspirations of the people were addressed and fulfilled in letter and spirit.
Former Minister expressed anguish over the ongoing anti-working class policies of Central Government which are causing innumerable hardships on the lives of common people in general and the working class in particular.Bhalla said that the alarming unemployment, price rise of essential commodities, large scale disinvestment of public sector units, attack on social security system like pension, amendment in labour laws in favour of corporate, outsourcing, unbundling of Govt departments in a massive way with the abolition of permanent post has caused large scale resentment among the employees/ workers in almost all sectors. Bhalla added huge burden put on the working people by way of GST and withdrawal of subsidy on essential items of livelihood are causing immeasurable suffering on the people.Nothing has been done in the housing and urban development sector which could be instrumental in ensuring that the people of the state get quality facilities of modern urban living, failed to ensure J&K comes up as one of the model UT in the country,” he said.
Bhalla further said that Congress party workers must create awareness among the general public about the failures of the government and the drawbacks of not having the status of being a state.
He said that Jammu has witnessed huge setbacks due to the revocation of statehood by the BJP Government including the seizing of jobs, land, and the suppression of political and civil rights. The economy has also suffered immensely due to the government’s irrational policies and decisions.
Therefore, it is high time that the Centre keeps its promise of giving back statehood so that people can exercise their political rights by choosing a democratic government. The Centre should accept the demand for restoration of statehood to J-K in the interest of the Constitution and democracy, he stated.Launching a scathing attack on the government, Bhalla further added that without a dedicated government elected by the people Jammu and its people are being neglected and overlooked. The Centre is not coming to look after the mohallas of Jammu, he said. And for a credible election exercise, complete statehood is a must. Without statehood, there would be no point in holding elections. Without statehood, Jammu and Kashmir has no guardians. We have reiterated the countless problems that the people of Jammu are facing today because of this injustice of not having statehood.
NSUI National President Neeraj Kundan in his address said that BJP-led central government has failed to protect jobs and lands of the locals. Many BJP leaders gave assurances about enacting laws for protecting people's jobs and lands but they failed," he claimed. He said unemployment had reached alarming proportions in J&K. "We cautioned the present administration to take note of the situation as frustration is on the rise among educated youth," the NSUI leader said. He said, the Congress has always stood by the people of Jammu and Kashmir but the BJP has failed to address their legitimate aspirations. Words alone won't suffice to improve the situation on the ground." Kundan said government has failed to live up to the spirit of accommodation and reconciliation towards realisation of the legitimate political aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.(KNS)