Jammu, Sep 21: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday strongly cautioned the people of Jammu and Kashmir against the deceitful tactics of the BJP, accusing the ruling party of diverting attention away from their failure to address the real issues plaguing the region.
Kharge criticized the BJP for exploiting distractions, especially citing Pakistan’s Defence Minister’s comments on Article 370 as a smokescreen to conceal their ineffectiveness in governance.
“Except for promises BJP has done nothing for the people of Jammu and Kashmir for 10 long years. Now during elections, BJP is shamelessly trying to rake up irrelevant issues to hide its failures”, Kharge said while interacting with media persons at Jammu.
“Instead of focusing on the problems faced by the people, such as unemployment, lack of development, and the delay in restoring statehood, the BJP is trying to mislead the public with irrelevant issues,” Kharge stated.
Defending his party’s decision to form a pre-poll alliance with the NC, he emphasized that the coalition formed to oppose the BJP was a necessity, not out of compulsion or surrender.
“This alliance was vital to defeat the BJP and protect the country’s integrity from their misdeeds, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Highlighting the plight of Jammu and Kashmir, Kharge said, “Our priority is to defeat the BJP and save the country from their anti-poor policies. The BJP has been in power for over a decade in Jammu and Kashmir, yet they have failed to deliver on their promises. We are jointly fighting elections with the BJP”.
He said that BJP’s promises, like providing 5 lakh jobs, are mere ‘jumlas’—empty slogans.”
He further accused the BJP of delaying the restoration of statehood, despite having the power to do so, and pointed out that the ruling party has allowed outsiders to dominate key sectors like mining and liquor contracts.
Kharge questioned, “Why has the BJP delayed restoring statehood when they hold all the power? The people of J&K deserve better governance, and the BJP has failed to deliver.”
Elaborating on Congress’ plans, Kharge declared the party’s “seven guarantees” to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The first and most important promise is the restoration of statehood. Congress will leave no stone unturned in ensuring this”.
“The second is the right to health for every family, with Rs 25 lakh health insurance, affordable healthcare, mobile clinics at the tehsil level, and super-specialty hospitals in every district,” he said.
Empowering women is also a priority, with Kharge promising Rs 3,000 for every woman head of the family.
He also assured the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, constitutional rights for OBCs, a caste-based census, and safeguarding of land and job rights for the people of J&K.
Addressing the unemployment crisis, Kharge lamented that despite the BJP’s promise of 5 lakh jobs, 65 percent of vacancies remain unfilled, contributing to the 35 percent unemployment rate in the region.
“What has the BJP done for the youth of J&K?”, he asked.
“Congress brought the Food Security Act to ensure that no one goes hungry in this country. It was also Congress that accelerated developmental activities in J&K, while the BJP shamelessly takes credit for the projects started under our regime,” he said.
Kharge also spoke about the Congress’ achievements, including the launch of MNREGA, and his personal contributions as Railway Minister to key projects like the Katra rail link. He emphasized that the BJP’s duplicity has been exposed, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah thrive on “jumlabajee” – making empty promises to garner votes.
Commenting on the BJP’s failure to provide a vision for J&K, Kharge noted that the party lacks both agenda and strategy for the region.
He also condemned the use of threatening language against Rahul Gandhi, stating that the BJP is afraid of Rahul Gandhi’s growing popularity. “One BJP leader even called Rahul Gandhi a terrorist. We are not afraid of such threats, and we will continue to stand up for the truth,” he affirmed.
Kharge stressed the importance of restoring the “Darbar Move” tradition for the economic prosperity of both Jammu and Kashmir regions, underlining that Congress is committed to the well-being and progress of the people, while the BJP is only focused on spreading lies and deceit.
The Congress guarantees the rights of Jammu and Kashmir. We will get J&K the status of a full-fledged state.
Kharge also highlighted the party’s promise of free treatment of Rs 25 lakh for every family and a super-specialty hospital in every district.
He said this will create a healthy society. “Dr Manmohan Singh’s plan for rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits will be expanded. Constitution-based rights of the OBC class will be secured.
Women heads of families will get financial protection of Rs 3,000 every month, he said.
He highlighted the promise of food security for every member of the family with 11 kg grain.
Insurance for all crops against natural calamities and a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 72 per kilogram for apple.
Congress will provide additional financial support of Rs 4,000 for landless, tenant, and land-owning farming households per year.
For the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, the party promised an unemployment allowance of up to Rs 3,500 per month for one year to qualified youths.
The party has promised to fill one lakh vacant government posts by issuing a job calendar within 30 days.
