Will ensure J&K statehood: Rahul Gandhi
In a direct attack on Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he was acting like a “21st century monarch, who is giving all benefits to people from outside the UT”.
“An L-G should be responsible for the smooth functioning of the administration. But in J&K, he is like a monarch, who functions as per his own whims and fancies. The people here do not get employment or any other benefit. They are even deprived of basic rights. This monarch is giving all benefits to outsiders,” Rahul alleged.
He was speaking at the first joint rally of the Congress-NC alliance at Dooru in Anantnag. NC leaders Farooq Abdullah and Mian Altaf and Congress leaders Tariq Hameed Karra, Ghulam Ahmad Mir were among those present. Rahul earlier held a rally in Ramban.
“It was for the first time in modern history that a state was downgraded to a UT. Our alliance is going to form the government in J&K and our first step will be to restore its statehood,” he assured people at both rallies.
He alleged while people of J&K were suffering due to
lack of job opportunities, different contracts were being given to outsiders and those having connections with the BJP and the RSS.
He said the BJP had only exploited Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) for its own benefits and treated them as a vote bank. “We are standing with you and want to connect with you. We will take you along when our government is formed,” he said.
The Congress and the NC have entered into an alliance to contest the upcoming Assembly elections. There is a friendly contest on five seats, while one seat each has been given to the CPI(M) and J&K National Panthers Party.
“We wanted the restoration of statehood in J&K before the elections, but the BJP did not want it,” Rahul said and asked the people K not to allow division of votes and reminded them that it was a direct fight between the INDIA bloc and the BJP-RSS. “There are a lot of people who are trying to create division, but that should not happen. Both the NC and the Congress are strongly supporting each other,” he said.
Rahul alleged small businesses across the country were being destroyed to help big industrialists by the Modi-led Union Government. He said the BJP was busy creating a wedge between religions, castes and even speakers of different languages.
The alliance also released a “chargesheet” against the BJP and the J&K administration. “Outsiders are being allocated land, resources and jobs even as locals are grappling with rising prices, high taxes, water shortage, poor electricity supply and excessive billing through smart meters,” it read.
