Rahul: It’s Mufti’s job to get rehab package from Delhi

M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Sopore, August 27

Amid growing resentment in the Valley over the delay in the announcement of a Central package for the victims of last year’s September floods, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today said it was the duty of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to ensure that New Delhi announced a rehab package.

“There was a talk of a big package. The PM talks of packages wherever he goes. But this is only packaging, there is no package in it…. I want to tell the CM that it’s your government… bring the package here… it is your job to rectify the damages done (in floods),” Rahul told a Congress workers’ meeting held here.

Around 2500 workers attended the meet at Sopore Dak Bungalow amid tight security. The Congress was earlier keen on holding a rally at Dangerpora, which is 5 km from here and is considered a hot-bed of militancy. However, local Congress MLA A R Dar said they were not allowed to do so by the government.

In his speech, Rahul too claimed that the state government did not want him to address the people of Sopore. He also regretted that the Congress hoardings about his visit were “removed” by the government in Srinagar. “You can remove our flags and hoardings but you cannot remove the Congress ideology from the hearts of people,” he said.

Hitting out at the PDP over its statements during the campaigning for the Assembly elections last year, he said: “Before elections, they (PDP) said ‘give us votes, we will fight BJP’. But after polls, they did the reverse. People know, probably the CM also knows in his heart, that this government is not going to benefit people.”

Crediting his party with bringing peace to the Valley, empowering panchayats by holding elections and launching women empowerment schemes, Rahul said the Congress alone could bring peace to the region. He was confident that the Congress would form the next government as the PDP-BJP government had “failed” to live up to the expectations of the people.

Rahul also continued his tirade against the Central government on the second day of his visit to the state.

“The BJP came with a statement that I am indulging in tourism. For them, meeting a farmer or a poor man is tourism. But meeting a businessmen, giving five to ten families the country’s inheritance is politics for them,” he said. Earlier in the morning, Rahul addressed a group of farmers, mainly saffron growers at Dusso in Pampore.

Addressing the farmers, he blamed the “opportunistic coalition” for failing to carry forward several schemes initiated by the previous UPA government for the benefit of the farmers. He also blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “politics of anger” for the violence in Gujarat.

During both addresses, Rahul said coming to Kashmir was like homecoming and he had a special relationship with the state. “Whenever I come to Jammu and Kashmir, I am happy that I am coming home but I am sad also as people here have faced problems... people have died (in violence) over the years,” he added.

Congress general secretary Ambika Soni, JKPCC president GA Mir and other senior Congress leaders were also present at the two meetings. Later, Rahul met several delegations, including those of business bodies, fruit growers and youth. The Congress vice-president is scheduled to fly back to New Delhi tomorrow morning.