Stripping of statehood by BJP govt is biggest issue face by J-K, says Rahul Gandhi

SRINAGAR: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday asserted that the biggest issue Jammu and Kashmir is faced with today is the BJP government’s stripping it of its statehood and said that his party will throw its “full weight” behind the demand of its restoration.

“There isn’t a bigger issue in J&K than this (stripping of) statehood. Your right has been snatched away completely. The Congress will throw its full support towards its restoration. We will use our full power to get it back,” he said while speaking at a series of rallies immediately before entering Jammu, also known as the City of Temples, at the head of his “Bharat Jodo Yatra”.

Mr Gandhi walked into a rousing reception in J&K’s winter capital where he met a cross section of people and paid obeisance at the famous Raghunath Temple. Mr Gandhi, who was accompanied by senior party leaders, was garlanded by the priests at the historic temple, a complex of seven Hindu shrines, situated in the heart of the old city.

Earlier while speaking at public rallies at Satwari Chowk and Vijaypur on the peripheries of Jammu city, he reiterated that the Congress had tried to raise the issues of public importance such as the “adverse consequences of demonetisation on the Indian economy, the negative impact of GST on the poor and other anti-people, anti- small trader and anti-farmer policies and measures of the government, and China occupying 2,000 sq km of India’s land in Ladakh” in both Houses of Parliament but was not allowed to do it. “Whenever a member of our party stood up to speak on these issues, they put the mike off. Seeing this and democracy being attacked, we started the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which has received tremendous support in all the states it has passed through,” he said.

He said that the people who met him, so far, in J&K complained that their land is being snatched away from them and the entire trade is being run by outsiders, leaving the locals workless, unemployment rate has soared up and stands at the highest in the country. He said, “Youngsters aspire to become engineers, doctors and lawyers but they find they cannot. There was another way (to get employment) earlier. It was with the Army. It has also been closed now by a new scheme, called Agniveer, introduced by the BJP government. That path is also now closed.”

He complained that the media is not reporting on these issues and the government is not trying to address them either and is even refusing to listen to the masses. “People told me that the administration is just not hearing their voice,” he said.

Mr Gandhi said that after beginning the yatra from Kanyakumari on September 7 last year, he and the others would normally start out at 5 am everyday but the J&K authorities have advised them to do it at 7 am instead. “I wanted to set out at 6 am but they said you should do it at 7 am and I have accepted it,” he said.

The J&K authorities have justified it saying an extra hour of time was sought to enable them to lay out security arrangements along the yatra route. The Congress has, while acknowledging the sensitivities of the situation in J&K and particularly the Kashmir Valley, left the decision to choose the itinerary of the final leg of the yatra to the discretion of the government and security agencies.

On Saturday, nine persons were injured in twin car blasts within 15 minutes in Narwal suburb area of Jammu. Over the past three days, security forces have found and subsequently defused a few improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted at various places in the Jammu region, including the frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch.

The authorities have, while holding separatist militants responsible for these incidents, insisted on it being a deliberate attempt to jeopardise peace and security and terrify people on the eve of Republic Day. However, security agencies have viewed all these happenings, particularly the twin car blasts, as a matter of serious concern as these took place during the yatra passing through the Jammu region.

On the other hand, the Congress had, following the twin car blasts, criticised the government for the “falling security parameters” in J&K but hoped it would ensure no harm came to Mr Gandhi and those joining him during the final leg of his unity march.

“It is a matter of concern. The twin blasts show the deteriorating security situation in J&K and expose the government’s tall claims. We hope the security agencies will take care of our leader,” Congress leader Ravinder Sharma had said on Saturday.

Senior AICC leader Jairam Ramesh told the media on Sunday, “There will be no compromise on the security of Rahul Gandhi. His security is our topmost priority, and we are following the guidelines of security agencies in totality.”