Jammu, Mar 05: Several senior Bharatiya Janata Party and National Conference leaders joined the Congress Party along with their supporters at Ramgarh constituency under the leadership of former minister and INC JK UT Vice President Yash Paul Kundal, the party said on Tuesday.
They were welcomed in the party fold by Vice President Yash Paul Kundal, senior leader Himmat Singh, Rakesh Singh, and others, the Congress said in a statement. “Prominent among those who joined Congress include, Avtar Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Labh Jeet Singh, Jasbir Singh, Surinder Singh Sandhu, Mohd Latif, Faqeer Din, Rajni Devi, Anita Devi, Amar Nath, Joginder Paul and others.”
Welcoming them, Yash Paul said, “Congress is an instrument of service to the people, which has remained dedicated to the cause of serving the people. The party believes in strengthening the people and is committed to equitable development of Jammu and Kashmir. Congress is duty bound to address the urges and aspirations of the people.”
He described the present dispensation as “anti-poor” and “anti-development”, saying due to the “anti-people” policies of the BJP, the sufferings of the common man increased manifold. “The insensitive government pushed people to the wall, as unemployment has increased, prices have risen and developmental activities have suffered a lot,” he said.
The former minister claimed that the BJP government pushed back J&K in all sectors and no progress has been recorded in the core sectors like PHE, PDD, R&B, Health, Education, etc in the last more than nine years.
Kundal said doors are open for the people who want to contribute to the party’s efforts to see J&K out of the “present mess”.
The newly joined leaders, according to the statement, expressed their full faith in the policies and programmes of the Congress Party and its leadership Malikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, adding, “We have realized and understood the reality that Congress is the only real alternative and a strong platform for each and every section of the society being a truly secular and progressive grand old party.”
