RS Pura: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Tariq Hameed Karra and working president Raman Bhalla on Sunday led a massive bike and car rally from Kullian to Rameshwar Dham in R.S. Pura, where they accused the Modi government of “playing politics” over women’s reservation and the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The rally, organised by former minister Choudhary Gharu Ram, was attended by several senior Congress leaders, including former ministers Mula Ram and Abdul Majeed Wani, former MP T. S. Bajwa, former legislators Ved Mahajan, Balbir Singh and Yash Pal Kundal, besides District Congress Committee president Neeraj Kundan and other party leaders.
Addressing the gathering, Karra launched a scathing attack on the Centre, alleging that recent developments surrounding the women’s reservation issue exposed what he termed the “anti-women and anti-democratic mindset” of the Modi government.
He questioned the Centre’s latest move on the issue, saying the Women’s Reservation Bill had already been passed unanimously by Parliament in 2023 and accused the government of lacking the political will to implement it.
“The non-implementation of women’s reservation despite its passage reflects the Modi government’s lack of sincerity,” Karra said, adding that the Centre was trying to “camouflage” its intentions under the garb of women’s empowerment while attempting to carry out delimitation without a census.
Karra further alleged that the government had suffered a “moral defeat” over the issue and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had no moral right to remain in office.
The JKPCC chief said the Congress remained committed to ensuring adequate representation for women in legislatures and decision-making bodies, pointing out that the party had already implemented 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions across the country.
Karra also raised a range of issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir, including unemployment, inflation, alleged weakening of democratic institutions and what he described as the continued marginalisation of local voices in governance.
He said people in Jammu and Kashmir were grappling with economic distress, lack of jobs for youth, and inadequate attention to border and rural areas. He accused the Centre of widening the gap between the government and the people through its policies.
Taking his criticism to the national level, Karra said the Modi government was indulging in “headline politics” while ignoring the concerns of farmers, youth, border residents, refugees and other marginalised sections.
He reiterated that the Congress would continue to raise its voice, both inside and outside Parliament, for the restoration of statehood and against what he described as policies aimed at weakening democracy and the Constitution.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said the rally reflected growing public dissatisfaction with the Centre’s governance and the “dual-control system” in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said rising prices, unemployment and the neglect of border areas had severely affected the daily lives of people. Bhalla also criticised the Centre’s handling of the women’s reservation issue, saying it had exposed contradictions in the government’s claims of empowering women.
Bhalla said the Congress stood for inclusive growth and the empowerment of women and youth, and announced that the party would intensify its outreach programmes across Jammu and Kashmir to mobilise public opinion against what he termed “anti-people decisions” of the Centre.
He urged party workers to strengthen their connection with people at the grassroots level and ensure that public concerns were effectively represented.
Former minister Mula Ram, while addressing the gathering, alleged that democratic institutions were being weakened and said there was a growing disconnect between the government and the people.
He said unemployment, price rise and inadequate welfare measures continued to trouble ordinary citizens, while the Centre remained focused on political narratives rather than governance.
