Shadow Correspondent
Jammu,Oct 18:
Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla on Thursday asked the party cadre to gear up for larger participation of people in the ensuing Panchyat elections. He was interacting with prominent persons of Panchayat Daraph and Chatha organized by Block President Amrit Bali in Gandhi Nagar constituency. Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said the Congress party has always struggled for empowerment of grass root institutions to strengthen democracy in the State. He asked party cadres to get ready to take on the PDP-BJP and expose their failures and misdeeds, and prepare for the panchayat polls. He said, “Our cadre should reach out to the people to expose the failures and misdeeds of the ousted coalition government in order to educate them about the falsehood and double standards of the PDP-BJP dispensation on governance and security situation. Bhalla maintained that Congress has the bright chances to emerge as a largest alternative in the State in view of total disenchantment of the people with other parties especially BJP in Jammu region and PDP in the valley.The people look towards congress as a strong alternative for its appropriate strategies and works in every nook and corner of sate during their govt in state. He appealed to party workers to rise to the occasion to take upon this opportunity and unitedly stand against the communal, divisive and opportunist forces in the state and work for strengthening the party at grass root levels.
Lashing out at previous PDP-BJP dispensation for failures on all fronts, Bhalla urged upon the cadre to take on PDP-BJP exposing them for adopting double standards for the sake of power in the forth coming Panchayat elections. He hit out at PDP-BJP for changing colours like chameleon for the sake of power. He said both parties sacrificed their ideology and joined hands for the sake of power, as a result, people were feeling exploited and betrayed. He said PDP-BJP combine cannot escape the responsibility of damages caused to peace process, as both the parties have exploited people for power and are responsible for restlessness and mistrust among the people. He said Congress party will ensure that the authority of democratic institutions is not eroded, although the ousted dispensation has already done great damages. Bhalla said people had a bitter experience as to what PDP has done in Kashmir and BJP in Jammu, as both the parties were working to strengthen themselves only rather than strengthening people.
Bhalla said that the Congress has the credit of establishing the Panchayat Raj system throughout the country and it was the result of great struggle and efforts of Congress that the 73rd and 74th amendments were incorporated in the State laws to further empower the Panchayats and ULBs which are basic institutions of democracy. He said that now the ULBs and Panchayats bodies would be constituted in accordance with the all silent features of the 73rd and 74th amendment of the Constitution, which would usher into an era of setting up of fully empowered Panchayat Raj system in the State.Adding that Congress being the only unifying forces alone can defeat communal fascist forces in the Country, Bhalla said that Congress has fought against these forces to maintain secular fabric of the country and is capable enough to safeguard the diversity, unity and communal harmony in the country, Congress Party will never compromise on its ideology for power, will ensure that the anti -peace forces are defeated tooth and nail.
Bhalla urged upon the Party Cadres to remain steadfast to serve the people to the best of their ability and ensure that problems confronting people are addressed, as that, people are facing great difficulties due to the wrong and anti-people policies adopted by the PDP BJP in the State. Bhalla lashed out at PDP-BJP coalition for anti-poor policies, saying time has come when the people will give them a befitting lesson. Mis-governance and developmental paralysis has taken the state backwards and the people were having brunt on all fronts. Terming the previous PDP-BJP government as a directionless, Bhalla said that an atmosphere of total chaos, confusion and uncertainty prevails in the state due to the wrong policies of the state and the centre government.
He cautioned the people about the designs of communal and divisive forces in the state who are constantly on a lookout for opportunities to strike and create hatred. Terming the upcoming Panchayat polls as crucial for strengthening democracy at grass-roots level in Jammu and Kashmir, Bhalla exhorted the cadre to gear up for the big challenge and ensure election of public spirited and honest representatives to the basic democratic institutions. Notwithstanding the spirit of Panchayati Raj System trampled by the PDP-BJP dispensation by amending the Panchayat Raj Act 1989, Congress believes Panchayats as engine of political empowerment of the people at large and development of rural areas as per local aspirations.
While seeking the mass participation in Panchayat elections, Bhalla cautioned against machinations of divisive forces, who may try to vitiate the atmosphere by engineering communal divide. “They are reading writing on the wall and in a fit of desperation, they may touch the lowest depths to create wedge between various segments of the society”, he said and referred to the hysteria created over religion being under threat.”There is no threat to any religion and if there is danger to anything at all, is the politics of hate, which has been serving as a shield to communal elements”, he said the politics of, mistrust and suspicion will take toll of the nation. What sort of the message they are conveying to the nation, which is a beautiful vase of different flowers”, he said and warned that the attempts of communal polarization will weaken the fabric of Indian nation. He asked the believers of hate-politics to keep off from Jammu and Kashmir that is a shining example of amity and communal harmony. He however, exuded confidence that the manipulations won’t deter the people to choose right people for Panchayats, which will be a befitting reply to the anti people dispensation.
