Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, July, 15
JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla today expressed serious concern over enormous power tariff bills after installation of smart meters in rural areas of Jammu District. He said people of Jammu have been diligently paying their electricity bills, but suddenly they appeared out of nowhere, cutting off the power supply and installing these meters. They are not financially capable of paying the tariffs based on meter readings. We are not against the idea, but shouldn’t the authorities consider the people’s ability to pay?”He claimed that people from the unprivileged section wouldn’t be able to make ends meet if they spent their earnings on power bills.
The JKPCC leader condemned the move as “sheer injustice” inflicted upon the people. “This is nothing short of high-handedness. This was stated by former Minister while addressing aggrieved people in Ward-73 Bhour Pind, Bhour Kullia . Prominent among those present on the occasion include Amrit Bali General Secretary JKPCC, Satish Sharma General Secretary JKPCC, Pawan Bhagat Secretary JKPCC, Gurmeet Singh Block President, Rajinder Singh,Raj Kumar, Sudesh Kumar Panch, Harbans Lal, Sat Pal, Chuur Singh, Jeevan Kumar, Harbans Lal, Shashi Paul, Ram Pal, Rash Pal, Bachan Lal, Vijay Kumar, Tarsem Lal, Ramesh Kumar, Chiman Lal, Tarvinder Singh, Shiv Kumar, Sumit Kumar, Vikas Sharma, Gopal Sharma, Ramesh Raina and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said people in rural areas are already grappling with numerous challenges, and this will only make their lives more difficult,” he remarked. “The government is making them face hardships. Many people work tirelessly in the private sector to earn their livelihoods, yet the government fails to consider their hardships. The installation of smart meters is nothing short of a catastrophe for them.”Bhalla lamented the lack of employment opportunities for educated youth while “burdening the poor”. He emphasized the pressing need for authorities to address their grievances and take their concerns into serious consideration.
Bhalla pointed out that the government has continuously implemented “anti-people measures, as if seeking revenge from the people”. “Instead of providing relief to the people, the government keeps imposing unjust measures one after another,” he lamented.“The government’s actions were testing the patience of the people in J&K, and that continued such measures would be met with strong resistance,” he warned.He voiced his worries about the “financial implications” of the smart meters, fearing that they would further burden households already facing difficulties. “Most of the people here are poor and cannot afford hefty bills. They would rather face dire consequences if they are forced to pay as per installed smart meters,” he said.He said, “The BJP government has broken the backbone of the common man due to high inflation and also due to its wrong policies.”
Bhalla also alleged that the BJP has a “forked tongue” with which it conveys two messages — one for public decorum and the other its “Mann Ki Baat”.The BJP believes in imposing duties on citizens, while snatching away their fundamental rights, he said.He said, adding that democracy however is in the veins of Indian society and it will reject these anti-Constitutional forces who look to destroy Dr. Ambedkar’s Constitution.”
The people of weaker sections of society should understand and realize the difference brought about by the latest struggle of Rahul Gandhi and Congress party for the betterment and due share of the weaker sections, into the main stream politics of the country . Congress party has lot of contributions towards the participation and upliftment of the Dalits, backward, marginalized communities in every sphere including reservation in services, professional courses and in political sphere of the country right from parliament, state legislatures and PRIs, as it all started from Nehru era and continued and improved further, added Bhalla.
Bhalla said that under the dynamic leadership of Rahul Gandhi, Congress has started a movement to bring Dalits, backward, marginalized communities into the centre stage of mainstream politics, when the entire politics of all political parties and the country now revolves around the oppressed classes and weaker sections and it will change the destiny of our people and ensure real justice to them.It is time for the poor and weaker sections to pick up thread and rally around congress and Rahul Gandhi’s leadership for the betterment of their future generations.
Commenting on the tenure of the BJP govt in J&K, Bhalla said instead of asking for votes, the party should seek forgiveness of the public. “Instead of making empty speeches, the govt should look at the statistics that show the BJP turned the most prosperous state in the country, before 2014, to backward state in J&K. He criticized J&K government for increasing poverty, unemployment, and debt. He questioned the government’s performance and impact on the public, demanding accountability and justifications for the state’s issues. The Congress party has taken a lead to fight against the tyrannical regime of BJP. He said that Prime Minister Modi and BJP know they are getting defeated, so indulging in such tactics but people will teach them a lesson. Bhalla hit out at the BJP for the betrayal of the people of Jammu region in every sphere as a result there has been tremendous response to Congress policies and programmes. He said that every section of Jammu be it youth, farmers, traders, workers, women, are hard pressed and against the policies of the BJP Govt and the failures of the local representatives to redress their grievances.
