Absence of democratic system in J&K causing hardship to people: Bhalla

Says Bureaucracies connect with people is all-time low impacting governance a lot

JAMMU, April 29: JKPCC working president Raman Bhalla Saturday said that Congress will stage a comeback in J&K whenever assembly elections are held in J&K. He was addressing a meeting of prominent Refugees of Gadigarh in RS Pura Jammu South constituency. Prominent among those present on the occasion include Refugees Cell Congress Chairman Amrit Bali, Pawan Bhagat, Rajinder Singh, Tirlok Singh,  Amarjeet Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Suresh Sharma besides others.The issues of farmers, refugees of 1947, 1965 and 1971, unemployed youth, SCs/STs and OBCs and favoritism, nepotism in jobs, dominated the deliberations. Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said that Congress is the only alternative available to the people in J&K and now the public has made up mind to bring back Congress to power. The people of Jammu have experienced that BJP has cheated them on different emotional slogans and false promises only to achieve power but back-tracked on all those issues for the sake of power.

The BJP exploited the people on different slogans on the name of religion, regions and castes but it was a tool to seek votes through these emotional issues. Bhalla strongly raised the issue of PoJK refugees who feel cheated and betrayed. It was Congress party which had framed a package of PoJK and Chhamb refugees and forwarded to the Centre Govt but instead of Rs 30 lakh per family, only Rs 5.5 lakh per family was sanctioned by BJP Govt  but that too has been stopped. It is totally arbitrary and anti- Refugees approach of Modi Govt, as large number of eligible families is still deprived of Rs 5.5 lakh installment while people were assured further installments.

Bhalla said that Modi Govt failed in J&K and the prevailing political and security scenario is the example of total failure of the Central Govt which left erstwhile state in total chaos. Asking the party rank and file to expose the misdeeds and failures of the BJP to educate the masses whose problems have been complicated besides disturbing the social and secular fabric of J&K. Congress leader accused BJP Government of habitual in raking up controversies to divert the attention of the people from their failure to provide a credible Government in J&K. Government is creating controversies as per pre-planned strategy in order to keep the people engaged and to divert the attention of people from the utter failure of the Government in J&K.

Bhalla expressed concern over the under-utilisation of development funds due to administrative inertia and said that Jammu and Kashmir are facing a crisis-like situation under bureaucratic rule. “There is no accountability in the administration as a result of which the people are suffering on all fronts,” he said. Bhalla said the bureaucracies connect with the people is all-time low which has impacted governance a lot. “The administrative and developmental inertia has led to a chaotic situation. In the current spell of the LG’s rule, the people have no access to the top echelons of the administration, especially at a time when the entire Jammu region is reeling under acute power crisis and drinking water supply apart from unprecedented inflation,” he said.

Bhalla asked the administration to wake up from its deep slumber and attend to the problems of the people as the entire union territory is reeling under shortage of basic necessities. He also exhorted the party’s cadre to intensify public outreach, identify people’s grievances so that they can be raised at concerned platforms as there is no mechanism for their redressal here. He expressed anguish that the J&K bureaucracy is showing “scant regard” to the issues being raised by public representatives.

Rapping BJP, former Minister said that Manmohan Singh was easily blamed for inflation during UPA rule, the present governments has failed to check the rising prices of essential commodities even after nine years of rule. Coming down heavily on Union Govt, Bhalla sought to know whether the people voted the BJP to power at the Centre and in J&K to continue grappling with high inflation.”Did the people vote the new government to power in Centre to let the monster called inflation sit on people’s chests and continue to wreak havoc? Will the prices of essential commodities continue to increase? What the about the economy of the country?” Bhalla asked. Nine years have passed, but the new government has failed to use its magic wand and ward off inflation,” he said. People voted for a change to experience happiness, deflated costs of foodstuffs and for ‘acche din’ (good days).But, high prices have raised the worries of the people,” Bhalla said.

Bhalla expressed serious concern over the difficulties confronting the people in the absence of a democratic system in J&K while slamming the government for snatching the rights of people.He said J&K was divided into two Union Territories against the wishes of the people and they were now being denied their democratic rights by “the BJP aiming to hide its wrong policies and utter failure”.The Congress shall continue to fight for the democratic rights of the people and ensure justice, he said.He urged the party leaders to work hard to strengthen the Congress at the grassroots level and stressed that the party “is an instrument of service to the people”.

(NOTE: PRESS RELEASE PUBLISHED AS RECEIVED)