Congress releases manifesto for JK polls, promises welfare measures for Farmers, Women
Jammu, Sept 16:
Cautioning people against the deceitful tactics of BJP, Congress on Monday regretted that instead of highlighting the ten-year achievements of its government in Jammu, BJP’s top leaders are shamelessly indulged in creating fear among the masses to get their votes.
Taking exception of the statement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Kishtwar, JKPCC Senior Vice President & chief spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Congress Ravinder Sharma lamented that the BJP leader tried to create a fear psychosis among the people ahead of the Assembly polls through speaches and advertisements.
“Instead of containing militancy in Jammu province, BJP leaders are now trying to terrorize the common masses”, he said, presenting data of rising terror attacks during BJP period.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP for its failure to protect the lives of the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir, Sharma exhorted the people to teach the BJP a lesson in the Assembly elections for betraying them.
Interacting with media persons, Ravinder Sharma said that the BJP, infamous for its false promises, has betrayed the people of J&K in general and Jammu region in particular. Ved Mahajan, vice president, Kapil Singh, Neeraj Gupta, Teja Singh, and Deepanshu Bhat were also present in the press conference.
“The BJP has failed to deliver on its promise of a secure and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir. Under their rule, the terrain of militancy has shifted to Jammu, with a significant increase in terror attacks and killings of security personnel”, he said, adding, “ The BJP’s electoral tool, the Kashmiri Pandit community, has been abandoned and betrayed when it comes to their safety and well-being”.
“In the past three years, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed the killing of 119 security forces personnel, with over 40% of these killings reported from the Jammu division”, Mr. Sharma pointed out, adding,” This marks a significant shift from the 15 years of relative peace the region had experienced.
The districts of Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, and Udhampur have been targeted by terrorists, resulting in the loss of many lives.
Terming the third tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ominous for the people of J&K in general and Jammu in particular, Mr. Sharma recalled that when the Prime Minister was taking oath on June 9, terrorists killed nine pilgrims in the ‘peaceful’ Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir”.
Although the BJP has been deceiving people since 2014, the third tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved disastrous for the people of the Jammu region.
“Since Narendra Modi’s third term began, terror attacks in Jammu have increased significantly. On June 9, terrorists attacked a bus in Reasi district, killing nine pilgrims and leaving 33 injured”, he recalled, adding, “In the following 48 hours, two militants and a CRPF jawan were killed, and seven security personnel were injured in three different encounters. On July 8, five Indian army personnel, including an officer, lost their lives in the line of duty, and five others injured in a terrorist attack on a military convoy in Kathua”, he said.
Four Indian army soldiers, including a young officer attained martyrdom in Doda on July 15.
Highlighting the plight of the Kashmiri Pandit community, Mr Sharma said that BJP has shamelessly ed the Kashmiri Pandit community as an electoral tool, but when it came to protecting them, the party locked them up.
“In Vessu Pandit Colony, Anantnag, residents were prevented from leaving their homes after a spate of targeted killings”, he said, adding, “By December 2022, over 5,500 Pandit employees had fled from Kashmir Valley to Jammu, but instead of addressing their fears, the LG Manoj Sinha’s administration insisted they return to their posts in Kashmir, withholding salaries and forcing them to choose between life and livelihood”.
Mr. Sharma recalled that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, led by the Indian National Congress (INC), had a successful approach to militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Between 2007 and 2014, there were no major incidents of terrorism in the Pir Panjal Range. In 2013, both terror incidents and civilian deaths reached their lowest points since 1990”, he said, adding, “The UPA government also devised a comprehensive rehabilitation program for Kashmiri Pandits, providing 6,000 jobs in Kashmir Valley”.
The BJP’s failure to address the rising militancy in Jammu and their betrayal of the Kashmiri Pandit community is a stark reminder of their inability to govern effectively. The party’s electoral promises have been exposed, and it is time for a change in leadership to ensure the safety and prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Congress on Monday released its manifesto for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, promising a slew of welfare measures for farmers, women and the youth. The highlight of the manifesto — Haath Badlega Halaat — is insurance for all crops against natural calamities and a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 72 per kilogram for apple.
The manifesto was released by AICC chief spokesperson Pawan Khera and PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra at the party office here.
“We will provide an additional financial support of Rs 4,000 for landless, tenant, and land-owning farming households per year. We will also arrange 99-year leases to landless farmers cultivating state land,” Khera said.
He said a Rs 2,500-crore fund will be set up for all district-level irrigation projects to ensure 100 per cent irrigation for farmers in Jammu and Kashmir.
For the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, the party promised an unemployment allowance of up to ‚Rs 3,500 per month for one year to qualified youths.
The party promised to fill one lakh vacant government posts by issuing a job calendar within 30 days.
