Jammu: Reiterating his demand for restoration of statehood, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president G A Mir on Tuesday said the BJP is deliberately delaying the assembly polls in the Union Territory as it fears a backlash from the voters over its “anti-people” policies.
He accused the BJP-led central government of “fleecing the common man through tax terrorism” and said “politics of hatred” is dangerous for a pluralistic society.
“As far as our assessment is concerned, BJP is going to face a tough time ahead and they are aware of it as well. They are hiding behind the delimitation exercise to deliberately delay the assembly polls and formation of a popular government in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mir told reporters in Reasi district.
Mir led a sit-in protest as part of the ongoing nationwide ‘Jan Jagran Abhiyan’ to make people aware about the alleged anti-people policies of the Narendra Modi-led government and record high prices of fuel and other essential commodities.
“They (BJP leadership) know the people are angry with its policies and they have got a taste of it in Himachal Pradesh (where the BJP lost all three assembly seats and the prestigious Mandi Lok Sabha constituency to the Congress in the recently held bypolls) despite their double-engine government… The electorate of J&K are waiting for an opportunity to take this government to task for its misdeeds,” the Congress leader said.
Attacking the BJP for downgrading the historic Dogra state into a Union Territory, Mir said, “The 1.30 crore people of J&K have lost their identity. What was our fault and who has demanded UT status? There were differences of opinion over Article 370 but why was statehood snatched from us?”
Amid chants in favour of restoration of statehood by party activists and leaders, Mir addressed the gathering and said the jobs, land and resources of the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been offered to outsiders even as the local youth are without employment.
“The BJP has nothing to offer to the people of Jammu and Kashmir except divert their attention through their divisive and diversionary mode of politics,” he said and asked the people to reject BJP and the “opportunistic forces” dancing to the tune of the saffron party for the sake of “individual favour” or “lust of power”.
Hitting out at the Peoples Democratic Party and National Conference, he said they are only concerned about getting power and how to grab it.
“It was the Congress which exposed the unholy alliance (between PDP-BJP) leading to the collapse of the previous government. (NC president) Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah are not taking part in protests against this government,” he said.
However, Mir said, “I want to tell them that the voters of J&K are politically mature and cannot be misled by false slogans and promises. They know their well-wishers and whom to vote for.”
Criticising the Centre, Mir said the huge assets and infrastructure created by previous governments have been put on sale by the Modi government besides making the life of common people miserable through heavy taxes.
“The wrong economic policies of the Modi government have derailed the robust economy of the country, leading to unprecedented hike and large scale unemployment in the country. The people are facing the brunt of the huge taxes as the Modi government is passing on the burden to the common people,” he said.
