Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Sept 24:
AICC Secretary and Co-Incharge J&K Affairs Shakeel Ahmad today alleged that BJP-PDP government’s three-year term as a complete failure. He said that divide between the Jammu and Kashmir regions as well as its resident Hindu and Muslim communities only grew starker during this period .According to him, the government’s failures were visible on all fronts.
There was deterioration of the security situation in the state, increased polarisation in J&K, the divisions between Hindus and Muslims, and also the failure of governance,” he said.
This was observed by him while inaugurating party office at Bathindi area of Gandhi Nagar constituency in presence of former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla. Prominent among those present on the occasion include Zamat Ali, ZEO Mohd Hussain, Dr. Abhrim, Mohd. Faiz, Rattan Singh, Faiz Ali, Ch. Puttu, Naseeb Ali, Bashir Ahmed, Sukhdev Singh, Hafiz Ullaha, Shoket Ali Foji and others.
The Congress leader further alleged that all the issue, on which the BJP had won 2014 Lok Sabha elections, have been sent to backburner by the saffron party, which was now hell bent to polarize the society for political gains.
Besides affecting this unprecedented hike in fuel prices, this Government has also failed on all fronts. Whether it was GST or demonetization, common masses have suffered while crony capitalists were encouraged to influence big deals like that of Rafale,” Shakeel Ahmad alleged and urged people to actively support the Congress for their bright future.
He said the government should hold Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections ensuring full security to political parties and individual candidates.We believe in democracy but the situation in J&K for the past 3-4 years and situation post-2016 (unrest) is still not under control.
Formation of ULBs are must to empower the people of urban areas”, he said and added that in a democratic system it was necessary to make representative character of all democratic institutions to ensure people’s participation in these institutions. Priority of previous regime was never to empower people by strengthening democratic institutions but those at the helm of affairs wanted to accomplish their nefarious designs by controlling such institutions through undemocratic means”, he observed and cautioned that such attitude of the ruling party would be proved disastrous for the State, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, terming the promises made by PDP-BJP Government as “mere bluffs”, Bhalla said that voters are fed up with the “sheer opportunism” of these two parties. Both the parties took the extreme positions on most of the emotional issues and exploited their respective constituencies.BJP acted as dummy coalition partner in the Government as discrimination with Jammu province was being done at every level including recruitment, allotment of funds, development in tourist sector,” Bhalla said and added that Congress is real representative of Jammu province that people have realized now.
Former Minister said that the treachery and deceit of the BJP is haunting Jammu people who reposed their unflinching faith and support to it with the hope that Jammu may perhaps get a better deal as during the days of its wilderness in the opposition, the BJP leaders were crying hoarse over discrimination and neglect. Despite being in power at the Centre and in the State the party failed miserably on governance front and let down Jammu on all fronts”, he said, adding that the BJP has nothing to showcase as its achievement, least to fulfilling liberal promises during elections. He slammed BJP for putting Jammu’s interests and development subservient to the pleasure of PDP for remaining glued to power. The former Minister said the partnership of the alliance parties and cohesion as a result of which people of the state in general and the Jammu region in particular were suffering on account of development. He charged the BJP for reversing some of the prestigious projects launched during the tenure of Congress for putting the Jammu region on equal pedestal of development. “Hunger for power has taken toll of the opportunistic alliance, which was overtly and covertly working towards weakening the very idea of Jammu and Kashmir”, Bhalla said.
An inhuman atmosphere was generated and mistrust created by bringing the people and the regions eyeball to eyeball situation over various sensitive issues”, he said and referred to the controversies raked up by coalition Govt. “We decry the politics of hate and divide, he said while cautioning the people against divisive politics played by the coalition partners which has already alienated Kashmir from the mainstream. He said the state has passed through most difficult times and if the situation is not handled with political far-sight and sagacity, the consequences could be grave not only for Jammu and Kashmir but entire country.Former Minister said that while the insensitive coalition has failed in assuaging urges and aspirations of the people on political front, its record in governance is quite dismal. In such a grim scenario, the role of Congress as a public movement, representing the urges and aspirations of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh becomes more pronounced”, Bhalla said and urged the cadre to realize their crucial responsibilities. He said Congress cannot afford to be a fence sitter when the state remains standing at the cross-roads of its history where the secular credentials, nurtured by Congress, are at stake in the wake of elements inimical to amity and tranquility taking center-stage. He made a passionate appeal to the people to maintain vigil against the elements inimical to the inclusiveness of the State.
Bhalla said deceptive politics and disruptive posturing of the PDP-BJP has cost the state dearly, not only in terms of gap between the people widening but also performance of the administration taking nose dive due to lack of political direction. The former minister assailed the PDP-BJP Government for contemptuously ignoring peoples’ aspirations and taking vicarious pleasure in their accumulating woes. “It was a dispensation of sorts, which itself rejected the first spell of misgovernance as abject failure and instead of learning lessons continued to be nonchalant in the present spell as well”, he said, adding that the coalition did not show any sign of grit and determination to solve peoples’ problems. Referring to disenchantment and dejection among people over disruption in peace and development, Bhalla said the efforts of the Congress government during six years on putting the state on the path of progress and normalcy have been undone by the present insensitive and anti-people coalition. “The people had been breathing in an atmosphere of peace and reaping benefits of development”, he said, adding that the scenario is quite alarming now.
BJP has not only sacrificed its age old ideology and solemn pledges but also indulged in the most deceptive and obnoxious deal by bartering away the interests and aspirations of Jammu region. He said all poll promises of BJP like empowerment of Jammu, delimitation of assembly constituencies and end of discrimination against Jammu region fell flat.He claimed that both the parties have lost the ground miserably. He said that Congress Party stands guarantee to the equitable development of all the three regions and the people. It will continue to serve the people to the best of its ability. He, while speaking on the occasion, said that there was complete chaos prevailing in the state due to misrule by the coalition government in the state, which disturbed the socio political scenario of the state to a great extent, he said.”Congress party is committed to resolve the issues confronting people and to fight against discrimination against people. It would continue to remain steadfast in serving the people. He described the PDP-BJP Government in Jammu and Kashmir as an abject failure, saying the coalition is plagued by distractions that has slowed down the process of development and left the governance in paralytic mode.He particularly referred to the disillusionment of the people in Jammu and said the self-centric BJP has betrayed their mandate.
