The policies in J&K are designed only for the benefit of outsiders: Priyanka

‘Unemployed JK youth fall prey to drug mafia’
*BJP is using J&K to stoke emotions in the rest of the country

Gopal Sharma

BISHNAH (JAMMU), Sep 28: AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claims that policies in Jammu and Kashmir are being shaped to favor the outsiders. country.

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“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,” Priyanka said today while addressing a large public gathering in Bishnah in support of Congress candidate Neeraj Kundan.
“BJP leaders have made Jammu and Kashmir a pawn in their political chess game as no policies are being made for the people of the region. They are made to arouse emotions across the country through you and serve political purposes,” Gandhi said.
The Congress leader criticized J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and said the current government is a ‘puppet government’ controlled by remote control from New Delhi.
Launching a scathing attack on Amit Shah for his comments on the statehood issue, Gandhi said, “I found it funny when the Home Minister said in his speech that if you want the state back, 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,” she claimed.
“They claim only they can return it. If our government comes to power, we will restore your state immediately,” Gandhi said, attacking the BJP government for “demoting” J&K to a Union Territory. Click here to watch the video
“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,” Gandhi added.
But the BJP has taken everything you have, the Congress leader pointed out.
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 and see the autumn leaves of Chinar. 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 during her speech also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he was not taking the concerns of the people of J&K seriously.
“Even in Modi Ji’s speech, there was no seriousness about the genuine concerns of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Repairing a railway station like Katra is not an achievement to brag about if the bigger issues of your rights, land, inflation and employment are ignored,” she said.
“What really matters are people’s genuine concerns. Why are these not addressed? Why don’t they focus on the truth? Why did the Prime Minister take away the status of your state?
The Congress leader also raised the issue of unemployment in her speech and alleged that half of the contracts for J&K were awarded to outsiders. “You have been deprived of your right to vote, and small businesses are being crushed by big business houses. Why is Jammu and Kashmir lagging behind in employment? Why is there so much unemployment?”
Big Reliance stores are opening and small businesses are being crushed, she said.
The BJP government, she said, has set up a “system of loot, with a puppet government running things remotely,” she said.
“Land banks are being created and your land is being handed over to big industrialists, the same ones Modi has favored across the country. The same is happening here in Jammu and Kashmir,” Gandhi added.
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 lamented.
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 in Parliament and outside.
“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 abolish the plan,” she said.
Referring to the growing drug addiction problem in the region, Priyanka said no BJP leader is talking about it because they know the cause is unemployment. The menace of ‘Chitta’ has spoiled the lives of many J&K youth. “Unemployment makes people fall prey to the drug mafia,” she alleged.
She appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to vote wisely, underscoring that the Congress’ vision includes restoration of the state, protection of land rights of locals and employment for the people.
Meanwhile, the Congress questioned the J&K Union Territory government over its inability to facilitate the landing of Priyanka Gandhi helicopter on the occasion of an election rally in Billawar in support of party candidate Dr. Manohar Lal.
“Priyanka Gandhi’s Billawar rally was sabotaged by the government. The landing site of her helicopter was set up at a remote spot, over 35 kilometers away from the rally site,” Senior Vice President and Chief Spokesperson of JKPCC Ravinder Sharma told the media, demanding investigation and urging the Election Commission to look into the matter to research.