Jammu, Sep 18: JKPCC working president Raman Bhalla on Monday said it is the duty of the people to “fight the forces that are hell-bent on taking the country towards autocracy”.
He said that the people of J&K are well aware of the fact that the Congress government have always stood for the interests of the country and never hesitated to make sacrifices. “It was the Congress alone that would deliver justice to poor, marginalised, minorities and other downtrodden sections of society,” he said, adding, “BJP keeps asking what has the Congress done in 70 years. If it looks around, it will see what our party has done. We have built dams, and public sector undertakings. We have provided education, healthcare and employment opportunities for all.”
“When the country got independence, the literacy level was around 16%. Now, it is around 70%. Who made people literate? Who educated all the doctors, engineers, scientists, teachers and lawyers all these years? Congress educated everyone, including BJP leaders,” he added.
Bhalla said that the Congress Party’s victory in the assembly elections in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh has created an awakening in the entire country against the BJP government’s alleged efforts to distort the Indian Constitution and shake its democracy. He called upon the people of J&K to support the Congress with an “overwhelming majority”. “This is an important election and unitedly we all need to vote for Congress and support it to win an overwhelming majority. If we don’t unite and support Congress today, then our next generation’s future will be jeopardised. We need to remember Gandhiji and Pandit Nehru for their contribution to democracy,” he said.
The JKPCC leader added, “It was our leadership which built rural villages, primary schools, high schools, ITI, IIS, engineering colleges and medical colleges. What have they done? They are closing schools. The government schools are being closed to promote private schools,” he said.
“Since democracy was protected and strengthened by us therefore they are enjoying their rights. This very democracy enabled Modiji to become the Prime Minister of this country. Otherwise, India would also have become a dictatorship like our neighbouring countries,” Bhalla said, adding, “The BJP government has raised the prices of essential commodities, including petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders. More importantly, the Prime Minister has failed to keep his promise to provide two crore jobs to unemployed youths every year. Thus, the countrymen could not lead a happy life.”