Addresses public gathering at Darap in RS Pura Jammu South constituency

Common man’s hardships piling up under BJP rule: Bhalla

JAMMU, August 13, 2023: Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir residents want the restoration of their “honour and dignity”, JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla on Sunday demanded holding the much-delayed assembly elections in the Union Territory for the “empowerment of the people”. The people across Jammu and Kashmir are feeling disempowered by the bureaucratic regime. On the other hand, the unnecessary delay in holding assembly elections has given rise to a feeling of alienation among the people that needs to be addressed at the earliest,” Bhalla said at a public rally at Darap in RS Pura Jammu South constituency.

The meeting was organized by Sarpanch Kashmir Singh. Prominent among those present on the occasion include   JKPCC Refugee Cell Chairman & Block President Amrit Bali, Satish Sharma, Ex Sarpanch Shamshar Singh Basant Kumar, Baldev Singh Wazir, Pawan Bhagat, Balbir Singh, Mohan Lal, Girdhari Lal, Ravinder Singh, Rattan Singh, Mansa Singh, Prithvi Singh, Panch Balvinder Kour, Kaushyla Devi Ex Panch, Beero Devi, Pushpa Devi, Puja Devi, Rani Devi, Anita Devi, Madu Manashki Kumari, Renu Devi , Situ Devi besides others.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla  alleged that the basic needs of the people  be it electricity, drinking water, roads, infrastructure for hospitals and educational institutions have been completely neglected by BJP Govt.“As the civil administration has completely collapsed, it is the right time to restore the confidence of the people who are feeling sidelined with no elected representative or government in place,” he said.He said Congress from the last nine years has been challenging and questioning the Center’s wrong policies and programmes and launched several campaigns notwithstanding the fact that several attempts were made to silence our voice.  “BJP’s failure to deal with issues like unemployment, price rise and the overall prosperity and security of the country is clearly visible in the current situation of the common people. Their hardships are piling up as BJP continues to favour the rich and neglect the poor,” said Bhalla.

Bhalla said that the Congress party is determined to expose the hypocrisy of the BJP Government. “Rahul Gandhi has been vocal on the failures of BJP. This is the reason that the Government is targeting him to suppress any criticism,” he said and added that silencing of leaders inside the Parliament was also being aggressively practiced by the ruling party to protect their lies. Bhalla alleged that the BJP was shamelessly misusing institutions as weapons to be used against political opponents and shut down the criticisms. It is not wrong to say that the middle class and poor are suffering immensely on all accounts and BJP should look into the mirror,” he said.The Govt has failed to provide any sort of relief to the battered youth who continue to sit idle amidst disappearing employment opportunities,” he said.

Bhalla advised the BJP leadership to come of age and go for extensive introspection over the failures in a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir, where it failed miserably in feeling the pulse of the people and assuaging their economic, developmental and political aspirations.He said the BJP leaders had exposed themselves during their stint in the ministry, which cost the people hugely and pushed it to uncertainty and instability.“How long will you hide under the umbrella of central leadership and get on with misadventures, which touched dangerous proportions during over nine years of misrule in the state,” Bhalla asked and advised them to read “writing on the wall” and apologize to the people of Jammu for “ditching” them. He said mere issuing statements won’t serve any purpose which amounts to create confusion among the people in order to divert the attention from the failures of the Govt.

Bhalla castigated the BJP for “hoodwinking public opinion” by generating euphoria over imaginary development in J&K. “Will the BJP say how many educated unemployed youth were provided jobs in their tenure; why the flagship projects of AIIMS and three Medical Colleges are still on papers; what happened to Smart City project; why implementation of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana could not take off; why Artificial Lake Project and Tawi River Front Project on the pattern of so-called Sabarmati Project did not materialize; why the party failed to regularize the daily wagers and others despite a blueprint drawn by the previous Congress-led government?” Bhalla fired a volley of questions.

Bhalla  said that Congress is the voice of the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists residing in different regions of J&K. He added that party ideology is inclusive and not confined to any region. Bhalla said that BJP has betrayed the citizens of J&K people from the year 2014 in diverse fronts. People have been reeling under miseries. Taking a dig at the BJP led government, he said that the government has failed to create jobs for the youth and instead of creating new jobs, BJP is on the wrong track and is damaging the present job scenario with its flawed recruitment and retirement laws. From time to time, BJP has come up with the anti-people policies in the UT of J&K due to which the whole erstwhile state was endangered, he said.

(NOTE: PRESS RELEASE PUBLISHED AS RECEIVED)