Jammu: The people in Jammu and Kashmir are not happy with the draft delimitation commission report, All India Women Congress general secretary Nagma Morarji said on Wednesday, as she lashed out at BJP over its alleged anti-people policies and “dividing the country on communal lines”.
The actress turned politician also condemned the heckling of a hijab-clad girl by a group of men sporting saffron scarves at a college in Karnataka and said “such diversionary tactics are employed to hoodwink the public from the real issues”.
She also paid tributes to seven army personnel who lost their lives in an avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh.
“People (in Jammu and Kashmir) are not happy with the proposed draft delimitation commission report. You have seen hundreds of BJP workers protesting and submitting their resignation (to protest the proposed merger of Suchetgarh assembly constituency on Monday)… when the report is out, you will see more protests,” the Congress leader told reporters at the conclusion of her three-day visit to Jammu.
Nagma said she visited Suchetgarh sector near the International Border in the outskirts of Jammu on the first day of her three-day party programme and interacted with the people there. “They are feeling neglected and consider snatching of the assembly constituency as grave injustice.”
On a question about the heckling of a hijab-clad girl in a college in Karnataka, she said such incidents will affect the education of the girls but the people need to stand up together against this “hooliganism”.
“When the government has no developmental agenda to show to the public, they use such diversionary tactics to hoodwink the people. What happened to the ‘beti bachao, beti padhao’ slogan? Education of the girls is bound to get affected by such incidents and therefore we should not pay heed to diversionary tactics and stand up together against this hooliganism,” she said.
She said it was Congress governments in the past which had always tried to empower the women, while the Narendra Modi led government is only making promises.
Congress gave 50 percent reservation to women in Panchayats and a bill to provide 33 percent reservation for women in Lok Sabha is pending in the Parliament as the BJP despite enjoying majority is not willing to pass it. They do not favour empowerment of women,” Nagma said, adding the women are half of country’s population and should get maximum representation in the legislature.
Criticising the policies of the BJP-led government, she said “we regret snatching the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir and transforming it into a Union Territory. They talked about ‘Naya’ (new) Kashmir, normalcy and development. We do not see the development on the ground, while frequent militant attacks expose their claims of normalcy.”
Nagma, who also attended the Women Congress executive body meeting during her tour, condemned the recent acid attack on a woman in Srinagar and said the women are not feeling safe and are facing a lot of issues due to inflation and alleged callous attitude of the government.
“The inflation is all time high and it is very difficult to run a household. Asha workers and Anganwari workers are on the streets for enhancement of their monthly numerations and timely payments,” she said and demanded sanctioning of window pension to women below 40 years who have lost their husbands.
Claiming the growing unemployment in the country, the Congress leader said J&K is one of the regions which tops the list with 22 percent unemployment as a result of which you can see the protesting youth on the roads every now and then.
“BJP is only making hollow promises as every section of the society has been affected by the policies of the Modi-led government over the past seven years. They failed to transfer promised money and create two crore jobs annually. The statistics show that 23 crore people lost their jobs and 700 farmers died during anti-agri law agitation, while only Rs 50 lakh compensation was given to people hit by COVID-19,” she said.
She said they only know how to blame Congress for its failures.
The Congress leader also blamed the ruling party for dividing the people of the country and said “Hindu never felt their lives are in danger over the past 70 years but now they are made to think on these lines.”
“The communal forces are spreading disturbance by pitching Hindus against Muslims for winning elections. The people need to think before voting and show the door to such communal forces for a better future,” she said.
Without naming Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, she referred to the recent firing on the vehicle of the parliamentarian in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut and said “the attackers are affiliated with BJP who are spreading disturbance and pitching Hindus against Muslims.”
The Congress leader lauded party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for her slogan ‘Ladki Hun Lad Sakti Hun’ and urged people of Uttar Pradesh to exercise their franchise for a better future in the upcoming assembly polls.
