MT News Service
Jammu, July 18:
JKPCC Vice President and former Minister Raman Bhalla on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the BJP government saying that it has completely failed on all fronts in J&K during last more than seven years.This was observed by former Minister while addressing protesters during protest led by him and Balwan Singh Gen Secy JKPCC against BJP Govt uncontrolled price hike of essential commodities including petrol and diesel at Sangrampur Panchayat Patyalichak, Ward 72 in Marh constituency organized by Vijay Shastri, Block President, Ashwani Sharma. Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion include Rashpal Bhardwaj,Corporator Saudhagar, Darshan Mehara, Janak Saini, Raj, Yaqoob, Prithvi, Darshan Mottan Sarpanch Ghou Jagdish Raj Bhagat beside others. The protesters held placards and raised slogans against the Government in a bid to raise their voice against the day by day increasing petrol, diesel and LPG prices. They demanded an immediate cut in taxes to ease the burden on the common man.
Speaking on the occasion, Congress leader asked the BJP government to issue a white paper on the financial situation of J&K.”In these seven years, the BJP government has completely failed to deliver. The economic situation of the J&K was dire and development works had come to a standstill. He said BJP-led government’s seven years in power could be summed up in seven “criminal wrongdoings”, accusing the Centre of bringing in a financial crisis, triggering large-scale unemployment and mismanaging the Covid crisis in J&K. “In the last seven years, the Modi government has given J&K immeasurable pain. It has been seven years since the J&K got a failed, and mindless government. The country is suffering as unemployment rate reached 11.3% in 7 years. Petrol prices have crossed ₹100 and mustard oil ₹200. It has proved to be the weakest government in the country in the 73 years,” Bhalla said on Sunday. Bhalla said the BJP government just watched as unemployment rate soared to its highest in 45 years and people died due to lack of life-saving drugs and oxygen. Time has come to ask who is responsible for insurmountable devastation, agony and anguish and unfathomable pain that has been inflicted on the people of India and that is why it is time for stock-taking,” he said.
Bhalla alleged that the government was not paying heed to the needs of the poor and the middle-class as it accused the Centre of playing with the livelihoods of crores of needy people across country. He urged the Centre to introspect on whether it has been able to fulfil the basic needs of people as he praised previous governments. “The country is surviving on the good deeds of previous governments since the time of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh,” he said.”Modi government has succeeded in marketing itself and has polarised the country. On every front from economic growth to jobs and other promises, it has not delivered,” Bhalla said.BJP Govt completely failed” on all fronts no matter which parameter was used to evaluate its performance. Congress leader said there were five universally accepted benchmarks to evaluate any government’s performance and BJP government failed in all of them.He said the five parameters include social cohesion, internal security, economic development, international relations and commitment to institutionalism. On each of these counts, the report card of the government is more than blotted.He said that social cohesion and social balance had “completely gone for a toss” in the past seven years.”It is primarily because this government doesn’t believe in the founding values of the Indian state and the idea of India,” Bhalla said.
Bhalla alleged that BJP Government has failed in providing basic amenities like water, power and ration to the common person of J&K.He said that Government is shying away from its duty to conduct Assembly elections in the name of so called Delimitation exercise. Formation of democratically elected Govt is must to empower the people of J&K”, 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.
Bhalla further said that priority of this regime is not to empower people by strengthening democratic institutions but those at the helm of affairs want 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 J&K.Terming the promises made by BJP Government as “mere bluffs”, Bhalla said that common man is fed up with sheer opportunism of BJP Govt. Party has taken extreme positions on most of the emotional issues and exploited innocent people to the hilt, with a false and deceptive promise to addressing all issues, if voted in strength.BJP acts as dummy Government as discrimination with Jammu province is 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.
Bhalla claimed that BJP government in the midst of a collapsing economy, “turning a disaster into an opportunity to fill its coffers.” He said despite lower international prices, the government has “broken all records of profiteering” by exorbitantly raising excise duty instead of passing on the benefits to common people, adding that every household was hurting due to the increased price of gas cylinders .He slammed the BJP for twisting the statistics, and said this spoke of its fear and frustration in the wake of imminent rejection by the people of Jammu & Kashmir. In their enthusiasm, he added, the BJP leaders were forgetting that they have been rejected by people of J&K.“Therefore, they have no reason to celebrate over the so-called edge in some constituencies,” he said, reminding the BJP of their declining vote share in Jammu region.
Bhalla castigated the BJP for “hoodwinking public opinion” by generating euphoria over imaginary development in J&K. He said that lust for power could lead the BJP to compromise with the Jammu pride and dignity. He accused the BJP of undermining the understanding and political sagacity of the people of Jammu. “Jammu has suffered the most during the BJP’s rule of over seven years of ‘misrule’ in J&K as their political naivety and immaturity is hugely discernible in the BJP’s discourse,” he said, adding that this did not augur well for the democratic polity. Bhalla advised the BJP leadership to come of age and go for extensive introspection over the failures in a sensitive Jammu and Kashmir, where it failed miserably in feeling the pulse of the people and assuaging their economic, developmental and political aspirations.He said the BJP leaders had exposed themselves during their stint in the ministry, which cost the people hugely and pushed it to uncertainty and instability.“How long will you hide under the umbrella of central leadership and get on with misadventures, which touched dangerous proportions during over seven years of misrule in J&K,” Bhalla asked and advised them to read “writing on the wall” and apologise to the people of Jammu for “ditching” them.
“BJP has no programme and policy for the welfare of people except to divide the people on communal line,” alleged Bhalla. He held BJP Government responsible for all miseries of general masses who were ditched by their elected representatives. He alleged that despite getting huge mandate from Jammu, BJP backstabbed aspirations of Dogras and surrendered for the lust of power. Asserting that Congress is not “anti-national”, he said those who are leveling wild allegations should check the number of their eye-glasses. He said Congress never played regional politics, never pitched one region against another, never played politics based on religion, communal lines and caste and always stood for unity of Hindu, Muslim and Sikhs. Bhalla said that Congress is the voice of the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Buddhists residing in different regions of J&K. He added that party ideology is inclusive and not confined to any region.Slamming the BJP, he said that the ruling BJP in Jammu and Kashmir was the “first and the last political catastrophe”. He further said that “ Jammu cannot move forward with this baggage anymore”. The next assembly elections will not only prove waterloo for the BJP but will witness the people’s power of rejection with contempt in an immense measure,” he said. Launching a scathing attack, he even said that the BJP has been “betraying” the people of Jammu and “ exploiting them as a commodity”.“The BJP has lost the confidence of Jammu by betraying the people and exploiting them as a commodity.Former Minister said that the acts of omission and commission, inaccessibility, nepotism, favouritism apart from misgovernance and compromising with the interests of the region during its misrule will keep haunting politically conscious and sagacious people,” he added.
Balwan Singh Gen Secy JKPCC calling BJP’s rule a “nightmarish era”, he said that various flagship projects in Jammu are still not completed and thus, BJP has “blundered in undermining the wisdom of people”. “After more than seven years, the people of Jammu got to know the meaning of BJP slogan ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, which actually meant ‘Vikas’ of chosen few who were cradled in the seat of power,” he added.The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been deprived by the fundamental rights and basic amenities for the last seven years since BJP came into power. The educated and unemployed youth of the UT are forced to do labour work in BJP rule. Singh said that BJP has betrayed the citizens of J&K people from the year 2014 in diverse fronts. People have been reeling under miseries.Taking a dig at the BJP led government, he said that the government has failed to create jobs for the youth and instead of creating new jobs, BJP is on the wrong track and is damaging the present job scenario with its new recruitment and retirement laws.From time to time, BJP has come up with the anti-people policies whether it be traffic and transport sector wherein vehicle tax has been increased to 9% and 11% , three farmer laws which would apparently destroy the farming sectors and make the farmers slaves of corporate sector, land laws in the UT of J&K due to which the whole erstwhile state was endangered, he said.
Singh further said that hike in fuel price has severely hit the already ‘broken back bone’ of the common man in the country amid the pandemic. The coronavirus infection and lockdown imposed due to this pandemic many people had lost their jobs. Amid this unemployment crisis, where people are roaming around to get a job for living the fuel price has become another challenge for them.He said that middle income households, particularly at the higher income levels, have suffered much more, because they had a lot more to lose. Then there is the question of direct and indirect taxes and the point that Governments should tax incomes and not consumption because the rich end up paying too little while the working class ends up paying a disproportionately high level of taxes even on items of daily use. This is how this Government has been killing growth whenever the economy has shown any signs of recovery, added Singh.He said that Congress party is on roads to awaken BJP Govt from sleep. Petrol price has crossed Rs 100 a litre, diesel has crossed Rs 90 in many parts of the country, and the price of cooking gas cylinders are increasing day by day. The leader asked the Central Government to reduce the prices of petrol, diesel and gas with immediate effect.
