Jammu, March 29: Congress candidate for Jammu-Reasi Lok Sabha seat Raman Bhalla on Sunday challenged BJP candidate Jugal Kishore Sharma to highlight any of his achievements during his 10-years tenure as a Member Parliament.
Bhalla said that except for parroting Prime Minister Modi’s name, the BJP candidate has nothing to highlight.
“The BJP is talking about the Modi wave as it has nothing else to talk about,” Bhalla while addressing an election gathering at Diani, Samba.
Prominent among those present on the occasion include former Minister Yashpal Kundal, Vice President and Treasurer and Incharge Samba District Rajnish Sharma Mian, District President Sanjeev Sharma, Block President Sanjeev Katal, Vinod Kumar, Kamal Kundal, Jyoti Deyi, Darshana Kumari besides others.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said BJP candidates across the country are asking voters to elect them in order to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister the third time. It is because they have nothing else to speak about other than talking of Modi wave which is failed attempt to divert the attention of the people from real issues, he said. He said BJP candidates have no achievements of their own to speak of. He urged the people to support the Congress as it is a party that works for them and not for the ultra rich.
“I will tell you why I think the Congress is the party of the have nots, while the BJP is a party of the haves. The Congress is the party of the poor while the BJP exists to serve the rich. All their acts, including sale of public assets at below market prices to big corporates that are their friends, closing down and weakening of public sector undertakings, not starting any new PSUs, not building large infrastructure projects like dams or academic institutions like universities, are indications of their mentality,” he said.
Bhalla said that “most of the public sector undertakings, huge dams and universities were built by Congress governments led by Jawaharlal Nehru in the first few decades of Independence, when there was not much money with the government. This socio-economic structure was aimed at helping the poor. But the BJP has undone all that. In the last decade it has not been able to build a single PSU or a dam or a university of world standards that provides free or subsidised education to the poor,” he said. “The people are realising its failures and they will teach the BJP a lesson,” he said. He asked all leaders and workers to strive single-mindedly for the party’s nominees.
Bhalla said that the voters in the country are disappointed with Prime Minister and they will teach him a lesson in this election. He stated that in 2014, when criss-crossed the country by spending crores of rupees, he made the people to dream. “He assured changes. Naturally, the young voted for him. But after ten years, Modi didn’t keep any of his promises. There are no jobs, no growth,” he said. “It was former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao and his finance minister Manmohan Singh who really brought economic reforms. But under the Modi rule, everything is reversed.
Bhalla said that the people are waiting eagerly to teach a lesson to the BJP for allegedly failing to fulfill the promises made before coming to power at the Centre and in J&K. “People of J&K want a credible voice to represent their aspirations and Congress is the only credible voice of all the regions of J&K,” he added.Every vote matters and every vote should be polled in favour of Congress, for ours is the only party that has never compromised with regard to equitable development of all regions of State.
Claiming that people were “disturbed over the change in BJP’s attitude after getting a clear mandate,” Bhalla said that the public would teach a lesson to the BJP in forthcoming elections.He said that people of Jammu and Kashmir are also eagerly awaiting for the next available opportunity to teach BJP and its allies a lesson for letting them down and not fulfilling promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.Bhalla claimed that people are yearning for a change and want riddance from the BJP’s “misrule.”
Bhalla gave a clarion call to the people to prepare themselves for giving a befitting reply to the “divisive” forces led by BJP as the opportunity has come after five years.He appealed to the young brigade to come forward for a better change in the JKUT.He said Congress is duty bound to empower every section of the UT equally, especially the youth, who hold the key to development and can change the direction, for which they need to rise to the occasion to show the power of their vote in the future elections.
Expressing hope, Bhalla claimed that the Congress Party will form the next Government in Jammu and Kashmir. “Party is supreme and every worker is bound to further strengthen it at the grassroots level and serve people as Congress has the legacy of serving and strengthening the people,” Bhalla said. He said bureaucratic rule has never been an alternative to a democratically elected Government. He said that Congress is the only political force in the country consistently playing the role of healthy opposition in the country.
