Congress committed to ensure development and progress of Minority communities in J&K: Bhalla

JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla on Monday said that the Union Government has badly failed to ensure welfare and progress of the minority communities in Jammu and Kashmir. This was stated by former Minister while addressing JKPCC Minority Cell Gangyal meeting organized by Baldev Singh Wazir J&K-UT Coordinator. Prominent among those present on the occasion include National Coordinator Minority Department Cell Tawish Patel, District President Th Manmohan Singh, JKPCC General Secretary Satish Sharma, Minority Cell Chairman Rajinder Singh Nathu, Sarpanch Avtar Singh, Sarpanch Kashmir Singh, Sarpanch Shamsher Singh, Ex Corporate Pritam Singh, Balwinder Singh, Inder Jeet Singh Kaka, Satnam Singh, Sumanpreet Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Badal Singh, Nagarmal , Om Parkash, Bittu Singh, Ravinder Singh Raju, Sanjay Sharma and others

Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said that BJP government has failed to provide special focus to the overall development of Jammu and Kashmir as no minority’s specific initiatives and schemes initiated in this regard. He said that whole nation will progress when we work together and appealed everybody to contribute towards peace, progress and development. Bhalla during interactions with minority groups listened to their issues and said that the issues highlighted by the minority groups will be brought to the notice of the relevant authorities to improve the standard of living. He also said that government failed to provide access to quality education to students from minority communities. He said the government didn’t work with utmost sincerity to ensure welfare of these students through affordable, accessible and quality education and stopped schemes and scholarships benefitting them.

Bhalla expressed his resentment over the continuous ignorance of genuine demand of Minority Commission and said instead of turning blind eye to their demands should have understood the woes of the minority communities.He said the development and progress of the minority communities in the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory is only possible when the Minority Commission is implemented in the Union Territory in letter and spirit.He said the ratio of unemployment in the Union Territory is at its peak, educated professional youth are either on strikes or dharna, the government failed to address their woes when Govt should have taken steps at the earliest to mitigate their sufferings.

Bhalla retreated demand of making Punjabi language an important subject in Govt and private school. Meanwhile Bhalla urged minorities to vote and support Congress party in forthcoming assembly elections.He said that the Congress Party is the only Party committed to the welfare of the general masses as such has made an appeal to the general masses of the state in general minority community in Particular to vote and support Congress candidates in the ensuing elections to assure success of the party to the J&K State Legislature."As such Bhalla appealed the general masses to vote and support Congress party so that it comes to full power", he said, appealing the minority voters to support Congress candidates in Assembly elections to ensure their success.

Bhalla resolved to maintain strict discipline in the Party at all levels, bring end to the “anti-employee policies” of the Govt subjecting them to various kind of harassment. He also condemned the harassment to the various categories of contractual adhoc, daily wagers, needs based and other temporary employees working in different departments and sought their regularization.He resolved to aggressively fight back the politics of vendetta and anti-people policies of BJP Government led by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.The participants expressed full faith in the leadership of Congress President Kharge and resolved to aggressively fight back the politics of “vendetta, and anti-democratic & other anti-people policies of BJP Government”.

Bhalla reiterated party demand for the restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir with Constitutional safeguards for the protection of land and jobs for the locals of J&K.He said that Congress shall reach out to coordinate its efforts with other like-minded forces, groups, NGOs etc to fight against the “politics of hate, division and diversion” of the BJP in-order to maintain atmosphere of peace and harmony in the society.He said that Congress shall work to protect the legal rights of the landless, small and marginal farmers in bonafide use and occupation of the lands for decades and seeks framing of a fair policy based on justice and equity in this regard. The Party shall work for due Constitutional and legal rights to the SCs, STS, OBCs, Paharis and other weaker sections.

Bhalla further stressed that the Party shall struggle for resolving the unsettled issues and financial package and political empowerment of displaced people of 1947, 1965 and 1971.He also sought adequate compensation to the affected people/stakeholders due to lockdowns in the Tourism, Industry, Transport, Trade, Agriculture and Horticulture sectors etc. He said it was the primary duty of the Government to ensure safety and security of people but it has failed. He said Congress is always on the forefront on the issue of terrorism and challenges before nation and Rahul Gandhi has always offered all sorts of suggestions but present Government doesn’t need this. It’s not a political issue for Congress but matter of safety of citizens and national interests.