Dismantling walls of hatred best tribute to Nehru: J&K Congress on his birth anniversary

Jammu, Nov 14 (PTI) Observing the birth anniversary of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of Congress on Tuesday said “dismantling walls of hatred, and strengthening love and communal harmony” will be the best tribute to him.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) also continued its attack on the BJP for failure to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP will face “bitter defeat” in the region just like they did in the Kargil council polls, said Raman Bhalla, working president, JKPCC.

“Best tribute to Nehru ji is to work unitedly in dismantling walls of hatred, and strengthening love and community harmony. We feel proud as he belonged to Jammu and Kashmir. He came from a family of Kashmiri Pandit community,” Bhalla told reporters here.

Bhalla and other senior leaders, All India Congress Committee (AICC) members, former ministers, legislators and office bearers paid floral tributes to Nehru on the occasion of his 134rd birth anniversary at its headquarters at Shaheedi Chowk here.

“Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation of secularism and communal harmony. The growth of India is because of various initiatives launched by Nehru in the agriculture sector, including the green revolution, setting up of IITs, AIIMS and IIMs besides big dams and road projects,” he said.

Prime ministers who followed him made the country stronger by continuing development works on the foundation laid by Nehru, he said.

Hitting out at the BJP for its failure to hold assembly elections, Bhalla said, “BJP has a habit of patting their own back. We challenge the BJP to hold elections in J&K and taste the bitter defeat as seen by the party in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Kargil.”

He asked the BJP why it was “running away” from holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir “if they are so strong”.