Jammu, May 28: Raman Bhalla, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Working President who contested from the Jammu-Reasi Parliamentary seat, on Tuesday said that welfare schemes and policies in India need to be more focused on benefiting the poor. He said that an egalitarian society can only be achieved if these schemes are oriented towards the economically and socially marginalised sections, including Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and other depressed communities.
Bhalla made these remarks during gatherings to honour booth agents who played a crucial role in promoting the party’s policies at the grassroots level in areas such as Bari Brahmana, Vijaypur, Ramghar, Panchayat Chak Babral, Panchayat Avtal, and Panchayat Chajwal. Prominent attendees included former Minister Yashpal Kundal, District President Sanjeev Sharma, and others from various party wings.
In his address, the JKPCC leader said there are disparities in the current social and economic systems, saying that true equality can be achieved through universal access to healthcare and education. He cited examples from European countries where such services are free, arguing that similar measures could help India build a more just and fair society.
Bhalla criticised the implementation of schemes like the Ujjwala scheme, claiming they were not effectively reaching the poor and instead benefited the middle class. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misleading the public by exploiting religious sentiments to maintain power. He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “rhetoric” against the Congress.
Expressing confidence in the victory of the INDIA alliance candidates, the Congress leader labelled the BJP as “anti-people” and “anti-youth.”
“Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had given her jewellery for the country in time of need and Modi says that the Congress people will steal your mangalsutra. Such language does not suit the country’s Prime Minister. Modi has started considering himself as God and thinks he would get votes in the name of religion but people will not be misled,” Bhalla said, adding, “The BJP’s ‘400 paar’ claim is nonsense; the party will not cross 200 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. Its seats are declining as compared to the last elections while Congress and the INDIA bloc were making gains.”
He criticised the Modi government for reducing import duties on American apples and for favouring rich industrialists by waiving off loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore while neglecting disaster-hit citizens.
Bhalla reiterated Congress’s poll promises, including a farm debt waiver and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops. He also promised to fill the 30 lakh vacancies in the central government if the INDIA bloc comes to power. He condemned the Agnipath scheme as a threat to national security and pledged to scrap it to ensure justice for the youth.
