Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, May, 30
JKPCC Working President and Congress contesting candidate from Jam mu-Reasi Parliamentary seat Raman Bhalla on Thursday expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc will secure a clear majority in the Lok Sabha polls and give the country an inclusive and nationalistic government.People have endorsed their view that “it will be the end of democracy if the current government gets another chance”, Bhalla said while addressing booth agents meeting at Afsar Guest House Shakti Nagar Jammu organized by District Jammu Urban President Manmohan Singh. Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion include Kanta Baan, JKPCC Vice President and Treasurer Rajnish Sharma, General Secretary JKPCC Satish Sharma, JKPCC General Secretary Amrit Bali, Secretary Pawan Bhagat, Secretary Dewarka Choudhary. Prominent among those present on the occasion include Ex Corporator Pritam Singh, OBC Vice Chairman Sandeep Dogra Sonu, Satpal Spolia, Dr Ramankant Khajuria, Rajinder Singh Jamwal, Block Presidents Bushan Kumar Reddi, Gurmeet Singh, Sanjeev Katal, Latish Sharma, Manjeet Singh Bedi, Ajay Kumar, Nageshwar Singh, Pardeep Bhardwaj, Darshan Verma, Rakesh Kumar, Raajinder Singh, Vijay Kumar, Yashpal Sangrha, Sonu Singh, Chander Shekhar Sharma, Ram Magotra, Baldev Singh Wazir, Dimpa Singh, Dewan Chand, Panch Gagan Bral , Suresh Sharma, Parasram Baloria, Balram Langeh, Sahil Shavotra, Onkar Singh Deepa, Harjeet Singh Bhagi, Ashwani Sethi, Jatinder Bhagat, Janak Kumar, Surinder Sodi and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said that “we are confident that people will give a mandate for an alternative government on June 4 .He also took a swipe at the prime minister over his comments in an interview that global awareness about Mahatma Gandhi came after Richard Attenborough’s film, saying he may not have studied about Gandhi but the Mahatma is known the world over.The whole world knows Mahatma Gandhi, his statues are there at different places in the world, including in the UN,” he said.If Narendra Modi does not know about Mahatma Gandhi, he would not know much about the Constitution either, he added.He said that Modi must read Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography to know more about him after June 4 when he will have a “lot of free time”.He said we cannot forget the sacrifices rendered by Gandhi for the country and that “he (Gandhi) wanted Hindus and Muslims to live together happily in our country, but the present PM is widening the gap between the two communities”.
“I think we are going to be large-hearted in victory — no politics of vendetta, no politics of vengeance. He claimed the 2004 result when the Congress won the polls to form an alliance government despite the BJP’s ‘India shining’ campaign, will repeat itself in 2024.”In 2004, the election results came out on May 13 and the UPA was formed on May 16. Dr Manmohan Singh’s name as PM was floated on May 17. It took less than three days for Dr Singh’s name to emerge, although everyone knew it was going to be Dr Singh after Mrs Gandhi had made her intentions very clear of not accepting the PM’s post, a great sacrifice on her part,” he said.
Bhalla added, “Congress is committed to ensuring the protection of the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and bringing them out of the miseries they have been facing for quite a long time. In the prevailing uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress stands as a beacon of hope, with its leadership dedicated to bringing about a positive change here. Unlike other political parties, we do not aspire to attain power just to rule but to serve the people. We stand in support of the people of Jammu and Kashmir like a rock, as our mission is to protect their rights and ensure their prosperity and well-being.”
Bhalla claimed that the BJP would not return to power for the third consecutive term and alleged that the party does not care about the constitutional responsibilities that come with the Prime Minister’s chair.”The chair of the PM is valuable and it has constitutional responsibilities. They don’t care about it. Every time before counting, he sits somewhere to gain publicity for 48 hours. He may meditate but why in the presence of cameras?” he said.He said that youth can bring J&K out of the morass by rendering their contribution. It is our duty to convey that Congress stands as the singular entity with a clear and unambiguous agenda dedicated to the welfare of the masses in Jammu and Kashmir. I strongly urge you to intensify your political and public outreach endeavours, fostering a continuous connection with the people,” he said.
Bhalla appealed the young brigade to come forward for a better change in J&K, as the J&K has suffered enormously on every count due to the political exploitation under BJP rule. He said Congress is duty bound to empower every section of the State equally especially the youth, who hold the key to development and can change the direction, for which they need to rise to the occasion to show the power of their vote in the upcoming assembly elections.“I would urge the youth to remain steadfast to serve the people to the best of their ability and ensure defeat of political exploitation. They should strengthen the Congress Party, which under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi feels duty bound to empower the youth and other sections of the people from grass roots level,” Bhalla added.
“J&K has become a victim of the harmful policies of BJP. The people are looking forward to a Congress Government under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Our poll planks for the elections is development, employment and to bring back peace, which was derailed after the BJP took rein,” he said and claimed that Congress brought peace to Punjab, Mizoram and Assam through dialogue and will adopt same strategy in Jammu and Kashmir. Bhalla urged people to support Congress so that it can implement its “pro-people” agenda to ensure a brighter future for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.“Congress Party’s primary agenda is to ensure a permanent peace, enduring prosperity, and equivalent development in Jammu & Kashmir and economic and political empowerment of its people,” Bhalla said, adding, “We have vision, determination, and potential to bring about positive change in the region. We are committed to elevating J&K to new heights of prosperity and economic well-being.”
Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party, Bhalla said, “BJP has lost its credibility among the people and stands exposed for their misleading narratives and fake promises. Over the past ten years, it has kept people busy with false promises and emotional sloganeering just to implement their vested agenda. Look at the growing unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir. Even our highly educated youth are unable to find jobs here. Had the BJP taken the right steps towards creating employment avenues, our youngsters would not be grappling with unemployment. The same is the case regarding other public issues and grievances. We are facing these issues only because of the misgovernance of government.”
