JAMMU: The Congress has decided to intensify its public outreach programme in Jammu city this week by organising a series of “Chaupal-pe-Charcha” community meetings to engage with residents on local and national issues.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the District Congress Committee (DCC) Jammu Urban chaired by its president Yogesh Sawhney. The meeting was attended by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra, Working President Raman Bhalla, former MP Choudhary Lal Singh and other party leaders.
According to party leaders, Karra, Bhalla, Lal Singh and other senior Congress functionaries will address the outreach programmes in different parts of Jammu city.
Speaking at the meeting, Bhalla said the campaign, launched by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), aims to highlight issues affecting the public, including unemployment, alleged recruitment irregularities, paper leak incidents, price rise and other socio-economic concerns.
He alleged that the BJP-led Central Government had failed to curb examination paper leaks and claimed that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had been raising issues concerning students and youth.
Former MP Choudhary Lal Singh criticised what he described as the increasing commercialisation of education and alleged that access to affordable education was becoming more difficult for economically weaker sections. He also criticised the Centre’s policies concerning Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated the party’s demand for restoration of statehood.
Sawhney urged party workers to ensure the success of the outreach campaign and accused the BJP of failing to address inflation, unemployment and other public concerns. He also criticised the recent increase in power tariffs and alleged that the BJP had not fulfilled its promises related to job creation and corruption-free governance.
Several participants at the meeting stressed the need to reach out to residents through community-level interactions and discussions under the “Chaupal-pe-Charcha” programme.
There was no immediate response from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the allegations made by Congress leader