Priyanka Gandhi – Kashmir observer

Bishna The Congress will restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Saturday, as she criticized the BJP for using the Union territory as a pawn to “stir up emotions” elsewhere in the country. Gandhi, the Congress national general secretary, also criticized Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, saying the current government was a “puppet government” run by remote control.

“The Congress party has a vision for you and for Jammu and Kashmir. We want to restore your state’s status. If our government comes to power, we will restore your state immediately. We will also revive the tradition of Darbar Move,” Vadra told a public meeting here.

Darbar Move refers to the biannual shifting of government offices, including the secretariat, between Jammu and Srinagar in view of the harsh winter in JK. “We want to protect your rights, your rights to your land and your employment,” Gandhi said while supporting the party candidate in Bishna, Neeraj Kundan.

Reacting to Amit Shah’s comments on the statehood issue, she said, “I found it funny when the Home Minister said in his speech that if you want the state back, you should vote for us. But the fact is that they are the ones who took it away. It’s like a thief stealing your TV and then saying, “If you want it back, just ask me.”

“They claim only they can return it. If our government comes to power, we will immediately restore your statehood,” Gandhi said, hitting out at the BJP government for “demoting” JK to a Union Territory. She added: “This is the highlight of the country. Nature has given you everything: these resources, this beauty. From here came the great sages who spread faith, culture and teachings not only in India but also in other countries. “But the BJP has taken everything you have,” the Congress leader added. Recalling her grandmother Indira Gandhi’s “deep bond” with Kashmir, she said, “Four or five days before Indira Gandhi’s assassination, she told us that she wanted to visit Kashmir to see the autumn leaves. She took us to the Kheer Bhawani temple and just a few days after her return to Delhi, she was murdered.

“It was a call from her country and Mata that brought her to Kashmir,” she recalled, highlighting her family’s long-standing relationship with the region.

Gandhi also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her speech, saying he was not taking the concerns of the people of JK seriously. BJP leaders have made Jammu and Kashmir a pawn in their political chess game as no policies are being made for the people of JK. the region, she said. “They are made to arouse emotions across the country through you and serve political purposes,” Gandhi said.

Big Reliance stores are opening and small businesses are being crushed, she said. The Congress leader added that the Prime Minister is “promoting Ambani and Adani” at the Centre, and in JK, the LG is “favoring his friends”. “Nothing is done for you. A Dalit officer has exposed the Jal Jeevan mission scam and instead of investigating, the officer is being harassed. There should be an investigation into this, but instead you are harassing the officer,” she said.

Criticizing the government over the Agnipath scheme, Gandhi said: “They introduced Agniveer, a scheme that does nothing for those who risk their lives at the borders and become martyrs. This is why all opposition parties are fighting and raising this issue repeatedly.

“This government and the Prime Minister are so arrogant that even though they know the plan is wrong and not beneficial for the youth, they refuse to back down,” she said. She also addressed the drug addiction problem plaguing the region, saying that no BJP leader talks about it because they know the cause is unemployment. “Unemployment makes people fall prey to the drug mafia,” she said.

Gandhi called on the people of Jammu and Kashmir to vote wisely and underlined that the Congress’ vision includes restoration of the state, protection of land rights of local people and employment for the people.