BJP govt’s neglect of rural areas speaks volumes about its governance shortcomings: Tara Chand

Bhalla asks Govt to respect sentiments of people, fulfill their aspirations  

Akhnoor: Jan. 02 : JKPCC Working Presidents Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla on Tuesday asked workers and leaders to gear up for the much-awaited Panchayat and local body polls elections in the union territory. Addressing a gathering at Akhnoor here, senior party leaders reiterated the Congress’s commitment towards grassroots democracy.

Speaking on the occasion, Tara Chand  said currently, an elected government is in place in Jammu and Kashmir after over six years. The attention has shifted to holding the Panchayat and urban local body (ULB) elections, which have been overdue in the region for the last six years.

He urged party workers to step up preparations for the upcoming polls while claiming a “lack of development” under the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led administration. He also accused them of failing to address rural issues like inadequate infrastructure, poor road connectivity, and unreliable electricity.“The BJP government’s neglect of rural areas speaks volumes about its governance shortcomings. The upcoming elections are an opportunity for people to choose leaders dedicated to their welfare,” Tara Chand said. He slammed the failure of initiatives like “Back to Village” in resolving the issues faced by rural communities.

“Congress has always stood for unity, progress, and the welfare of all sections of society. The upcoming elections will be a testament to our commitment to these ideals,” Tara Chand asserted. He called for party unity and outreach to every voter, urging cadres to connect with the masses and address their concerns effectively. Former Dy  Chief Minister expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir’s Union Territory status is a temporary phase and that the central government fulfills its promise of restoring its statehood.”It has been a little over two months since new govt came to power. We have been associated with the government earlier, but there is a vast difference between that form and the present form,” he said.”We the people are now expecting that the promises made with us will be fulfilled. The biggest promise is the restoration of the statehood. The Supreme Court in its judgment  had also stated that the statehood should be restored as soon as possible. One year has passed since and we think one year should be enough,” he added.

Former Dy C.M. Shri Tara Chand asked the party workers to raised the issues  of common man  and  try to  redress them also. He said  Congress in J&K under the dynamic leadership of  Shri Tariq Hameed Karra, President PCC will struggle unitidly  for the cause  of  local population. He said  that a

Nationwide Abhiyan of the party “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan”. In this regard the yatra  will commence  on 18^th of January 2025 from Gandhi Chowk Satwari to Ambedkar Chowk. He asked the party workers  to attend the said country wide programme in  good strength.

Speaking on the occasion  Shri Raman Bhalla said the sentiments of the people should be respected and their aspirations also be fulfilled.  Addressing a meeting of party workers here, Bhalla asked them to get ready to defeat the “anti-people, anti-youth, anti-students, anti-farmers” BJP in the upcoming polls. The Congress leader called upon the party functionaries to maintain close rapport with the public and highlight the “various failures” of the BJP government. He asked the local leadership of districts, blocks, wards and observers to highlight public issues effectively. “The deserving candidates will be given a mandate for the elections,” he said. Without taking any names, he said parties exploiting the sentiments of the people on various emotional issues for vote bank politics need to be isolated. “They have utterly failed to deliver on their commitments, causing unrest in different regions and sections of the society. The people must identify such political parties and reject them for being their worst enemies and responsible for the mistrust and unrest amongst the people,” he said.

Bhalla asked the people of the Jammu region to join hands and defeat the “nefarious designs of communal, divisive and separatist forces”. He also complimented the people of the Jammu region for believing in togetherness and religious harmony despite grave provocations by vested interests. The Congress leader alleged that the wrong policies of the Narendra Modi led government have ‘ruined’ the country, especially Jammu and Kashmir. “The Modi government has snatched the right of jobs and land from the people of Jammu and Kashmir and downgraded a full-edged state to a Union Territory. The property tax, toll plazas, smart electricity meters and unemployment have added to the misery of people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Bhalla said.  “What has the BJP given to the Jammu region? They are talking about two crore tourists visiting Kashmir, stones in the hands of Valley youth replaced with laptops, successful G20 in Srinagar. They believe that the people of Jammu are in their pocket and will divide them on communal lines to garner votes,” he said.

Bhalla said that the unilateral decision of the authorities to install smart meters and inflated electricity bills has overburdened the pockets of masses in Jammu. “The continuous functioning of Toll Plaza on Jammu – Pathankot National Highway despite protests in Jammu, Samba and Kathua, underdevelopment, unemployment, drug addiction are such issues that has affected the normal life of the people, and they want that these issues should be addressed in a humanitarian way,” he said. He asked the Party leaders to intensify their door to door campaign across the region and help the people by highlighting their issues. “The people in J&K have remained victims of divisive politics and therefore, they should be provided unbiased representation,” he said addressing the party leaders.

The meeting was also addressed by  Senior leaders Shri Narinder Sharma, Ricky Dalotra, Vijay Shastri, Rajesh Sharma, BCC Presidents  Shri Anil Singh Manhas, Daljit Singh, Jagatar Singh,  Raj Kumar,  Th. Rashpal Singh, S. Jaswant Singh,  Madan Lal Sharma, Suraj Singh, Gafoor Ahmed, Bodh Raj Sharma,Asho Sharma, Davinder Singh Bittu, Som Nath Sharma, K.K. Bhagat, Kiran Kumar, Smt. Sandiya  Devi and others.