Srinagar: Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Sunil Sharma on Wednesday said the BJP’s protest in Srinagar reflected what he termed the failures of the National Conference-led government, as party leaders and workers gathered at Lal Chowk ahead of a planned march towards the Civil Secretariat.
Security was tightened across Lal Chowk ahead of the BJP’s proposed Civil Secretariat gherao, with the Hari Singh High Street road towards the Secretariat closed and heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel in place.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the gathering near the Clock Tower, Sharma said people were taking to the streets over issues including electricity, water, roads and unemployment, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
“This is a reflection of the failures of the government, which you are seeing on the streets today. Those who are yearning for electricity and water, those who are yearning for roads, those who are yearning for a job, especially young people, those young people are told that today they will not get a job from PSC or SSRB,” Sharma said.
He alleged that the government had failed to provide adequate employment opportunities to the youth and claimed that jobs were being linked to contractors associated with the National Conference.
“Today you ask for a job from a contractor of the National Conference. Today, if you have to appoint a doctor anywhere, he will be the contractor of the National Conference,” he alleged.
Sharma also criticised the government over the increase in electricity tariffs, saying it had placed an additional burden on the poor.
“On top of that, the government has increased the electricity tariff and has put a burden on the poor. People are angry, that is why they are on the streets,” he said.
Targeting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Sharma questioned the promises made by the National Conference during the Assembly elections, including its commitments on Article 370, free electricity and jobs.
“Mr Omar Abdullah had said he would bring back the so-called Article 370. He had said he would give 200 units of electricity for free and 100,000 jobs,” Sharma said.
He also challenged Omar Abdullah to seek a fresh mandate from the people on the issue of statehood.
“If Mr Omar Abdullah has even a little bit of dignity left, then come and fight the elections on statehood and resign from Ganderbal. If people win the elections and send you to the statehood, then we will bow before you,” Sharma said.
The BJP had announced that it would march towards the Civil Secretariat as part of the protest. The party leaders and workers were gathered at the Clock Tower at the time of filing this report and had not yet begun the march.—(KNO)
