JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla on Sunday said that if the Congress is voted to power in the coming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, it will restore statehood and “democratic rights” of the people of the Union Territory. This was stated by former Minister while addressing public meeting at Gangyal  in  RS Pura Jammu South Constituency organized by JKPCC Secretary Satish Sharma. Prominent among those present on the occasion include Block President Sanjeev Katal, Block President Gurneet Singh, Baldev Singh Wazir DCC Vice President, Sumanpreet Singh DCC General Secretary, Ex Corporate Pritam Singh, former Sarpanch Shamsher Singh, Rajinder Singh, Satpal Sapolia,Inderjeet Singh Kaka, Simranjeet Singh, Puran Kundal, Sudagar Choudhary, Om Parkash Sharma Gurdas Mal, Janak Raj, Yashoda Devi Suman Choudhary, Satnam Singh Kaka and others.

Bhalla said, “we understand you are going through a tough period. Our national manifesto is clear that the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh will get their democratic rights back. It is a priority for the Congress and INDIA bloc to restore statehood to J&K and democratic rights of its people.” He said, “you are not workers, you are family. In the history of India, after Independence, many UTs have been converted into states but there is only one example when statehood was taken away and a Union Territory was created and appealed to voters by saying that their votes “are needed to save the country and the culture and rights of the citizens. We hope J&K will stand with us in the elections. The BJP is always the one who decides where and when to begin elections. All their anger and frustration are targeted only at the Congress because no other party gives them a tough fight.

 Bhalla said that J&K has “lost its identity” under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and appealed to the people to support Congress in the “fight” for the restoration of statehood.“BJP regime has destroyed Jammu and Kashmir in various spheres, as it lost its identity, status, right over jobs, lands, opportunities of trade and transport and business besides whatsoever selections and recruitment were done in the UT, witnessed corruption and scams,” Bhalla said.He said, “People have been exploited in the name of a bright future, control prices, and two crore jobs annually. But all their promises have fallen flat, except politics of hate and division. Jammu and Kashmir was a historical state with much better living conditions than most states in the country, but now it has been pushed into an atmosphere of political uncertainty.”

Bhalla said that further delay in restoring statehood was bound to cause more disconnect between the Centre and J&K people, who he said were feeling hurt after the Centre’s move to downgrade the historical and full-fledged State into two Union Territories without their consent.“The Centre has to address that disconnect, at the right earnest, keeping in view the urges and aspirations of the people,” he said. Bhalla asserted that Congress is the only viable alternative to the “divisive policies” of the BJP which he said “has vitiated the political, social, secular, and democratic atmosphere in the country and Jammu and Kashmir”.The JKPCC leader gave a clarion call to the civil society, students, youth, traders and farmers of Jammu to “unite” for the cause of the region, saying, “It is high time that pro-Jammu forces joined hands to defeat and dethrone those who had betrayed the cause of the Dogra land”.

“The very leaders in whom Jammu reposed its faith had betrayed it and relegated it to worse than second class status. The faith of the Jammu people in the present dispensation had been completely shaken in view of unprecedented bias to which the region had been subjected,” he said, adding, “Let’s unite to fight the nefarious designs of those who are desperate to demolish our culture and destroy our pristine glory.”Bhalla said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been left without an elected government for the last six years. “The blame for this suspension of democracy lies entirely with the Centre. It is only the Supreme Court-imposed deadline of September 2024 that has forced the Centre to conduct the polls now. Can the BJP explain this long delay in holding the elections? Why has he clung so desperately to power in a state where the people never chose to be led by him?” he asked.

 Bhalla said that there is a need to restore the lost glory of Dogras which has received serious dent under tenure of BJP Govt. BJP which received huge mandate of Dogras in 2014 did nothing to address their sentiments and burning issues.He said Congress is committed to serve Dogras in a best possible way and to fight all those tooth and nail who are hell bent to ignore Dogras and challenging their strength and integrity.He exhorted the people especially youth to vote and elect India Block candidates who are honest, dedicated and committed to fight for rights and aspirations of Dogras. He said that since the BJP had miserably failed to live up to the people's expectations by cowardly surrendering all the Jammu based issues for the lust of power, the people of Jammu region are reposing faith in Congress Party. He accused the BJP brigade for raising hollow slogans of 'Achey Din' only for electoral gains and betraying the youth.

Bhalla also appealed Jammuites not to waste their precious vote in favour of BJP candidates whose main business to join election fray is to improve their personal fortunes and are trying to fool Jammuites and also making fool of themselves by indulging in futile and waste exercise. So called champions of Jammu cause have destroyed Jammu socially, culturally, politically and economically by sideling Dogras  to jeopardize Jammu's general political and economic rights. They have played foul with Jammu to promote its self-interests by abandoning Jammu and threw its culture and heritage. We will not accept the position of servitude and subordination any longer, Bhalla maintained.