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| Congress protest rising inflation, fuel prices, unemployment | | Focus of budget changed from welfare of people to elections : Bhalla |
Jammu, March 24 (Scoop News)-To protest the "rising" inflation, fuel prices, unemployment, property tax, and anarchy in J&K, the Congress workers under the leadership of JKPCC Vice President Raman Bhalla , JKPCC Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma , Distt Jammu Rural President Hari Singh Chib, former MLA Shiv Dev Singh, NSUI National President Neeraj Kundan, PYC President Uday Bhanu Chib, NSUI State President Sunny Parihar on Wednesday organized Dharna protest against BJP government in Bishnah. The protest was organized by PCC Secretary Shashi Sharma. Prominent among those present on the occasion include Pawan Raina, Dawarka Choudhary, Vijay Tagotra, Latish Sharma, Happy Randhawa, Karan Bhagat, MR Puri, Bharat Bushan, Narinder Sharma, Kalla Shah, Rajesh Sharma, Vijander Singh Deepu, Mool Raj Sharma, Balbir Kumar, Prithvi Singh, Vijay Shastri, Rahul Sharma, Vishu Sharma, Rajesh Bhanu, Satpal Mandi beside others.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla criticized the government over the fuel price hike. He said BJP government has embarked upon merciless destruction of people’s livelihood which have already been severely assaulted both by the pandemic and the unplanned, unilaterally announced and totally mismanaged policies and programmes in J&K.He accused the government of deliberately increasing petrol and diesel price. He demanded that the central government to sharply reduce its excise duties, on petroleum products, which are amongst the highest in the world today, and provide relief to the people. Former Minister said the Modi government has completely failed in keeping its promises to the people of India. The need of the hour is for different parties to set aside their differences and come together. "Time has come to change this government," he said.He said it is necessary to make the government understand that they have completely failed to serve the nation. Congress leader said that on one hand government was increasing taxes as well as prices of petroleum products and gas that made life of the low income group miserable. He said that unemployment was increasing but government failed to devise an effective economic plan for solution of the core issues.
Bhalla slammed the government for changing the focus of the budget from welfare of the people to elections. While expressing concern over the widening fiscal deficit, the Congress leader said the common man will be badly affected with the increase in the target of union excise duty at Rs 3,61,000 crore during the 2021-22 fiscal from Rs 2,67,000 crore last year."Due to coronavirus pandemic, the income of the common man has been badly affected and the government is increasing excise duty and central GST," he said, adding that the government had reduced fund allocation for rural local bodies and fertilizer subsidy. The Congress leader urged the government to speed up the COVID-19 vaccination drive, saying that at the current pace, it would take 18 years to achieve 100 per cent vaccination in the country. We decry the politics of hate and divide, as Congress believes all-time relevant slogan of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist Unity,” he said, cautioning the people against “divisive politics being played by BJP which has already alienated all sections of society from the mainstream.
Bhalla described the BJP as a polarising agent in the political spectrum across the country and said the people of J&K would not allow it to play with the time-tested amity and singular entity of the state. He said the BJP government, instead of steering the state to development, pushed it backwards.“The party is doing a disservice to common man. This is detrimental to the unity of the country and the state,” he said, adding that governance deficit, growing unemployment and developmental inertia had left even the core workers of the BJP disillusioned.“The BJP is suffering from a peculiar mind block, which does not allow it to see beyond its myopic political agenda,” Bhalla said. A vicious atmosphere is being generated and mistrust created by bringing the people and the regions eyeball-to-eyeball situation over various sensitive issues,” he said. He said J&K is passing through “most difficult times and if the situation is not handled with political farsightedness and sagacity, the consequences could be grave not only for Jammu and Kashmir but the entire country.”
“While the insensitive Govt has failed in assuaging urges and aspirations of the people on political front, its record in governance is quite dismal. J&K is virtually witnessing mis-governance with government nowhere to be seen on ground,” he said, adding “If at all there is any visibility of govt anywhere in J&K, it is for all the wrong reasons of exploiting people and inciting them to fight each other.“In such a grim scenario, the role of Congress as a public movement, representing the urges and aspirations of Jammu, Kashmir becomes more pronounced,” Bhalla said and urged the cadre to “realize their crucial responsibilities.”He said Congress cannot “afford to be a fence-sitter when J&K remains standing at a crossroads where the secular credentials, nurtured by Congress leadership are at stake in the wake of elements inimical to amity and tranquility taking center-stage.”He made a passionate appeal to the people to “maintain vigil against the elements inimical to the inclusiveness of the J&K.”
Asking the BJP to explain as to why it has failed in keeping up the promises made to the people and failing the Jammu region on all fronts, Bhalla said "Not only in jobs to the educated unemployed youth, the BJP has brought the engine of development to a grinding halt thus pushing Jammu and its people to wall."The people of Jammu have seen through the divisive game plan of these divisive forces and they will never oblige the hate mongers this time, Bhalla said adding that BJP stands exposed for its anti-poor and anti-youth policies and these are the segments which are going to punish the party whenever elections are held for ditching Jammu's interest.Former Minister claimed that all sections of society were suffering under BJP rule as promises made to them have turned out to be hollow. Launching attack on BJP Govt, the Congress leader said that this Government has left no stone unturned to destroy democratic institutions. He stressed that the J&K needed fair and strong constitutional institutions.
Bhalla said general public including traders, businessmen, farmers, unemployed, families of the martyrs, border residents besides daily wagers, casual workers, contractual lecturers, etc had been bearing the brunt of the discrimination in all spheres. He alleged that the present BJP Government is directionless due to absence of any common point in their respective agenda. BJP Government has only given rise to a situation of uncertainty, chaos and confusion, Bhalla said. He said the J&K was passing through the “worst ever misrule. There is total policy paralysis due to divergent vested political interests in J&K, he said.If District Development Council (DDC) polls can be held in times of Covid-19 , Assembly elections can too, Bhalla said as he demanded for an elected government in the Union Territory. He said that the present dispensations in the Country and in J&K are creating controversies and conflicts as part of their diversionary tactics to befool the people and to cover up their failure on all fronts especially to fulfill false slogans during election campaign. He said that Congress party always framed policies and programmes for the welfare and upliftment of SC/STs and other down trodden sections of the society and provided adequate opportunities to reap the benefits of democracy, however certain forces exploited these sections for their vested political interests.
People are suffering from the lack of supply of power, Drinking water, Ration, Old age pensions, MNREGA payments, but BJP totally neglecting masses demands and have left them at the mercy of god, he alleged that there is a total collapse of State administration since BJP leadership failed to convince people of J&K with its decisions. He said, all developmental works being started by previous government are stopped and seems standstill, which has affected the people of the state badly. Bhalla dubbed them as Big Bluff Masters for neglecting the real issues concerning to the people. He maintained that so far BJP has only befooled people with false promises. Being the ruling party at the Centre and having secured heavy mandate in the elections from Jammu region, he blamed BJP for its total failure to address the genuine problems and concerns of the people. He said the Central Government and UT administration took several decisions against the wishes and aspirations of the general people, taking advantage of the situation, forcing people to protest.
JKPCC Chief Spokesman Ravinder Sharma speaking on the occasion said that increase in prices of petroleum products was beyond imagination. He said government failed to fulfill its tall claims as it did not provide any relief to the poverty-stricken people. It is sheer injustice rather shameful,” he said. He added that rulers were imposing new taxes on people and increasing prices of daily use items to meet their own expenditures. He said that consumers were paying two types of taxes that included petroleum levy and general sales tax. “The government should take back the decision of increase in petrol and diesel prices. The ‘tsunami of inflation’ has made life extremely difficult for all sections of society. This time it has dropped a petrol bomb on people. This is going to cause a new wave of inflation in the country,” he said. Sharma also criticized government, saying it had no capacity to control price hike and joblessness.” The government should withdraw increase in fuel prices and announce relief package for the jobless youth,” he said. Sharma said when the Congress-led UPA was in power, relief was given to people even though international crude oil prices were soaring while the Modi government has been raising petrol and diesel prices, burdening the common people and the farmers already facing hardships due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Distt Jammu Rural President Hari Singh Chib accusing the BJP of disregarding the aspirations of the people of J&K and ignoring the burning issues of masses in J&K, he said that BJP had given wide publicity to public issues during 2019 elections with high hopes generated amongst various sections of society which eventually ended in smoke. He sought a white paper from the BJP on the development undertaken and jobs provided to the educated unemployed youth of Jammu region during the past over six years. “The people of Jammu are within their rights to have a report card from the BJP, which they cradled in power with massive 25 seats in the Legislative Assembly in 2014 on the promise of jobs, development and fulfillment of all the aspirations,” he added.
PCC Secretary Shashi Sharma speaking on the occasion, said that increase in fuel prices would affect the traders as they had already suffered due to lockdown after outbreak of coronavirus. He said that increase in prices of petroleum products would completely halt industrial development process that could trigger unemployment. He said that surge in prices of petrol products was reflecting anti-business and anti-industry policies of the government. He said that the decision should be withdrawn immediately. He charged the government with profiteering at the expense of the people, saying its duty was to help them in times of crisis and not make profits out of their hard-earned money. He said, "Due to the coronavirus crisis, demand for fuel has fallen all over the world.
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