Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Nov, 29
Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla on Sunday claimed that BJP is a party with double standard , what they commit before the elections do not full fill on attaining power, continuous tension on the border ,marginalized communities still deprived are the live examples. He termed BJP the merchant of day dreaming and cautioned people not to fall in their trap. This was observed by former Minister while addressing public gathering in favour of party candidate from Rajouri Sain Abdul Rashid. On this occasion several Panchayat members also joined Congress party under his leadership in presence of Haji Farooq Ahmed, and Ajaz Kataria. Those who joined include from Rajouri Constituency at Panchayat Saj-A, Saj-B, Nerogal and Bhathian Sarpanch Adv. Shaheen Ajaz, Mohd. Aslam, Mohd. Sabeel, Mohd. Shamshir, Nazir Hussain, Mohd. Shehzad, Mohd. Zakir, Irfan Mirza, Irfan Mir, Jungbaz Choudhary, Ikhlaq Ahmed, Abdul Rashid, Mohd, Yaqeen, Mushtaq Ahmed, Hazi Mohd. Hanief, Ch. Nazir Hussain beside others.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said that Congress is the only Party which can do justice to Jammu Region and can full fill the aspiration of the already neglected people of the Jammu Region. He said that Congress can do justice with the people and said that Abdul Rashid among the candidates is the best who can watch the interests of Rajouri. He lashed out at BJP for dividing communities of Jammu province on communal lines and maintained that they failed to fulfill promises made with the people in hilly and border areas. The people living in rural and remote areas are facing a lot of problems due to lack of basic facilities and infrastructure, due to betrayal of BJP. Former Minister 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. Bhalla 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,” Bhalla said
He further said that people are fed up with them who always cheated them in the name of development. Their leaders failed to fulfill promises made with people before elections. It is a matter of grave concern that even after six years, people of the hilly areas are suffering for want of basic facilities.He said that BJP has failed to fulfill the promises made with the border dwellers and the condition has become worst due to cross border shelling, forcing them to leave their houses. The Government had promised to provide them five-marla plots at safer places besides constructing bunkers for their security, but all promises proved rhetoric, as nothing was done for welfare of border dwellers.Bhalla further alleged that the Government has abdicated its solemn duty to protect India’s borders both from external and internal threats and said the Prime Minister has “utterly failed” to stop the Pakistan-sponsored terror that is taking the lives of Indian jawans and civilians on a daily basis. Govt is so busy in self-propagation of his strategies that he is blind to the threats on our Eastern, Western and Northern borders which have become extremely volatile,” he said.“Yet the BJP Government remains a mute spectator and is relying upon rhetoric,” he said.
Bhalla said that hundreds of crores of rupees are being spent for developmental works in district but on ground no development is visible. The benefits of welfare schemes for BPL families, SCs, STs, OBCs, widows, aged and border people are not reaching the genuinely deserving people, he added. Bhalla said Congress alone can ensure equitable development in J&K while keeping a close focus on neglected, remote and backward areas. He said Congress represents each and every section, region and religion of the society and has the vision, policies and programs for the welfare and unification of people of different shades.He referred to the massive financial support during Congress led UPA regime at the Centre which “witnessed lot of economic development and infrastructure building in different parts of the State including the construction of prestigious Mughal Road project connecting the twin border districts with Kashmir valley”. He said this road serves as a alternative route between Jammu-Srinagar via Rajouri-Poonch. Bhalla also referred to the setting up of separate Tourism Development Authorities besides sanctioning of various Educational and Health Institutions in the region including Government Medical College at Rajouri, besides survey of the Railway project amounting to more than Rs 13612 crore to connect Rajouri-Poonch through railway.
He asked people to maintain the secular tradition of brotherhood at all costs and “defeat the mischievous elements from across the border”.He said BJP govt failed to ensure justice to each region and held BJP responsible for surrendering the interests of people and throwing the elections promises to the dustbin.
Bhalla said that constituency remained backward, under-developed due to the discriminatory policies of the previous BJP Govt. He said previous Government failed to redress grievances and sufferings of the people living in far flung areas and people of these areas were made to suffer for all basic services. He said the BJP Government was unaware of the problems and issues of the people in the rural area and did not take any steps to mitigate them during their tenure.Bhalla said communication gap between citizens and the administration was biggest hurdle in the process of development and largely remained unaddressed. BJP Govt turned a blind eye towards the apprehensions and concerns of people of J&K, especially Jammu region. He 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 most parts of the city are facing scarcity of potable water and power and dilapidated condition of lanes.
There is strong resentment against previous Govt for the attitude of total neglect of the area. Majority of the people are poor and deprived of the basic amenities. Poor road network, lack of drinking water and power supply, poor health care facilities, shortage of doctors, severe shortage of ration, non-availability of teachers in schools are the issues being confronted by the hapless public.Bhalla strongly maintained that resentment against the BJP in Rajouri is on the rise, as most of the core issues of the general public have remained same even after the passage of about six years. Bhalla 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, Bhalla 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. 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.
