New Delhi, June 28: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Working President Raman Bhalla on Friday met the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at his official residence in New Delhi to congratulate him on being elected as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) and winning both his contested seats with huge margins.
Bhalla, according to a party statement issued here, praised Gandhi’s “relentless fight to restore democracy, secularism, and unity in the country” and appreciated his “indefatigable fight for the cause of the nation”. He expressed confidence that as leader of the opposition, Gandhi will once again go a long way in voicing the concerns of the people of the nation.
Gandhi asked JKPCC leaders to “unitedly fight the anti-people and anti-youth policies of the ruling BJP and defeat their divisive agenda in Jammu and Kashmir”. He urged them to strengthen the party and gear up their activities keeping an eye on the forthcoming assembly elections.
The meeting also discussed the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including the rise in terror attacks in Pir Panjal, and the ongoing organisational activities of the party. Bhalla apprised Gandhi about the feedback from workers and people about the functioning of the present government and the role being played by Congress to represent and highlight the issues of the people of J&K.
Gandhi expressed hope for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to be made a state at the earliest. He said that the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh want change and want their voices to be heard too, and they conveyed the same to us by giving strong support to him during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The meeting deliberated upon the latest political situation in the wake of recent Lok Sabha election results and preparations for forthcoming assembly elections in the state. Rahul asked party leaders from J&K to activate cadres at various levels to highlight issues of people and expose the “failures” and falsehoods of the BJP. He urged them to highlight the “failures” of the Central government and erstwhile coalition government in the state to come up to the expectations of people on various vital commitments.
Bhalla invited Gandhi to visit J&K, saying all sections of society wanted to share their grievances with him. “The situation in J&K has become adverse owing to anti-people policies of government. Spiralling inflation, poverty, malnutrition, crime, and challenges before democratic values, Constitution, and Constitutional institutions can only be tackled by Congress,” he said.
