GST, demonetisation destroyed jobs & MSME Sector
Outsiders will no longer dictate J&K’s future
Jammu, Sept 25:
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today reaffirmed his commitment to restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, promising to use the full strength of the Opposition if necessary. He condemned the BJP-led government for governing the region through a Lieutenant Governor and prioritizing the interests of ‘outsiders’ over the local population.
“We will fight for your statehood in Parliament and on the streets. Outsiders will no longer dictate the fate of Jammu and Kashmir,” Gandhi said.
“As long as the Lt Governor is there, outsiders will benefit and the locals will be sidelined,” he said, asserting that this was a deliberate strategy to run J&K for the benefit of non-residents.
He was speaking at an interaction session organized by the All India Professionals’ Congress titled Dogri Dham with RG at Radisson Blu, Jammu. Over 300 business owners and professionals from various sectors across Jammu and Kashmir participated, raising concerns about the region’s economic challenges.
The program began with Sanjay Sapru, J&K Head of the All India Professionals’ Congress, presenting a Kashmiri shawl to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Leader of the Opposition, and Praveen Chakravarty, Chairperson of the All India Professionals’ Congress.
During the Q&A session with local professionals, Gandhi emphasised that if the BJP fails to restore statehood after the elections, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will use all its resources to ensure it is reinstated.
“If the BJP doesn’t restore statehood, the first priority under an INDIA government will be to return it. This is your right, and we will use our full might,” he asserted.
Gandhi assured that the Congress-led alliance would prioritise the economic revival of the region. He promised policies aimed at job creation and the development of local industries. “Export incentives, improved access to capital for MSMEs, and reduced tax harassment will be key components of our policy for Jammu and Kashmir’s economic recovery,” he said.
Criticising BJP government for favouring large corporate entities such as the Adani and Ambani groups, Gandhi said that smaller businesses were left to suffer under the weight of policies like demonetization and GST. “These measures destroyed the MSME sector, which provided jobs to the youth. Today, employment is scarce, and the backbone of local businesses is broken,” he noted.
“While the entire government worked for Ambani and Adani, two weapons GST and demonetisation were used to clear the way for these two billionaires at the cost of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).” He claimed the government waived the debts of 25 billionaires at the cost of poor people. “Wrong decisions like demonetisation and GST destroyed the MSME sector that gave jobs to the people. As a result, employment is not available to the youth,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a public rally in Sopore, the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said that for the first time in history, a state was downgraded into a ‘union territory’ and injustice was served to the people of the territory and the INDIA bloc will fight for its restoration.
“We wanted that the statehood be restored before elections. All the people of Jammu and Kashmir wanted the elections to take place after the restoration of the statehood. The first and foremost issue is regarding your statehood. Several UTs have been made states, and states have been bifurcated. But this is the first time in history that a state has been turned into a Union Territory. It did not happen, the first step is election. But after this, the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir has to be restored,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“INDIA Alliance will pressurise PM Modi in the Parliament for this. If they don’t do this, then we will restore your statehood as soon as the INDIA bloc forms the government at the centre. If we want this apple to reach America and Japan, statehood has to be restored,” Rahul Gandhi added.
The rally in J-K coincided with the second polling phase in the J-K that is being held after a decade.
