Jammu, September 21: All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday maintained the Congress’s non-commitment to restoration of Article 370 – a promise made by the party’s alliance partner the National Congress (NC) in its manifesto.
He reiterated that restoring the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir was the top priority of the Congress party, “and then we will look into other issues.”
To a direct question whether the Congress was in favour of restoration of Article 370 as its August 6, 2019 CWC resolution did not clarify its exact stand on the issue and wavered in its approach, the AICC president said: “The party stands by what it has stated in its resolution (August 6, 2019). Our first agenda is statehood. We will sort out the rest of the issues after completing this (restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir).”
Karger arrived here for a day of campaigning and held a press conference at the “Zone by The Park” hotel.
He again hesitated when asked whether the Congress would support a resolution to restore Article 370, while the National Conference promised to “convene the first sitting of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after coming to power”.
Instead of giving a direct answer, the Congress president said, “The Congress has spelled out its agenda (manifesto) and we have also submitted the resolution of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). So, we will stick to our agenda related to statehood and our (August 6, 2019) resolution (on Article 370). Our main aim is restoration of statehood. Statehood Laaney Ke Baad Baaki Ki Cheezein Hogi… (After restoration of statehood, we will look into other issues).”
On August 6, 2019, the resolution of the Committee on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons “condemned the abrogation of Article 370”. The resolution described it (Article 370) as “a constitutional recognition of the provisions of the Instrument of Accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir with India” and stated: “It (Article 370) deserves respect until it is amended in consultation with all sections of the people and in strict compliance with the Constitution of India.”
Is the Congress party implementing Pakistan’s agenda in Jammu and Kashmir?
The All India Chamber of Commerce president alleged that the BJP leadership was accusing the Congress of implementing Pakistan’s agenda in Jammu and Kashmir to divert attention from the real issues.
“You see, Modiji and Shah are telling the Congress that they are trying to implement Pakistan’s agenda in Jammu and Kashmir – it is a lie. It is just an attempt to divert attention from the real issue. I want to ask them why the BJP is not implementing their agenda. The party has been in power at the Centre for the past decade; in Jammu and Kashmir, it has the Lieutenant Governor – why is it (BJP government) not fulfilling its job promises? Why are they (BJP leadership) talking about Pakistan?” he asked.
Referring to PM Modi’s (impromptu) trip to Lahore to meet then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and attend his granddaughter’s wedding, the All India Indian Chamber of Commerce president quipped, “We didn’t go there (Pakistan) to taste biryani or hug Sharif. They (BJP leadership) did that and now blame the Congress. They (BJP leadership) talk about patriotism. As the saying goes, they pretend to love the country but they are wedded to Pakistan.”
The response came in response to the BJP leadership, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dig that the Congress and its alliance partner the National Congress Party were conspiring to implement Pakistan’s agenda in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reference context
On September 19, PM Modi lashed out at his political opponents (Congress, NC) at a campaign rally in Katra, Reasi district, over the statement of Pakistan’s defence minister that Pakistan and the NC-Congress alliance were on the same page on the restoration of Articles 370, 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. “In Jammu and Kashmir or elsewhere in the country, people may not care about the NC-Congress (or its manifesto), but they have a lot of support in Pakistan. Inki Wahan Balle Balle Ho Rahi Hai… (They (Congress and NC) have gained praise in Pakistan…),” the PM said.
Booking
Asked about senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on reservations sparking protests, Kharg said reservations would not be abolished until India achieves untouchability.
“Rahul Gandhi has not said anything against untouchability. We will not let him say anything against reservations. The Congress party supports reservations and will continue to do so until untouchability is not lifted and social justice is restored,” Kharg said.
He questioned why if the BJP was committed to restoring statehood, it had not done so yet. “It has now become a minority government. It has no intention of doing so (restoring statehood),” he said.
Kharg maintained that the Congress-NCP alliance was confident of getting a majority in the Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections.
Did the Congress abandon its own interests or was it forced into an alliance with the National Congress, where it won only 26 seats out of 90?
“No, there is no question of surrender or coercion. This is only to oust the RSS-BJP and save the state of Jammu and Kashmir. We are implementing this single agenda across the country,” he said.
Can the BJP still consider the National Congress (NC) as a reliable alliance partner in the context of the shocking revelation by senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana, who previously served in the NC, that Omar had approached the BJP several times in 2014 to forge an alliance?
The All India Chamber of Commerce president tried to downplay the revelations, saying his party was not concerned with the past. “We will work together to win the election and form the government,” he said.
The All India Chamber of Commerce and Industry president said that the party was committed to regularising the daily wage system after coming to power.
He questioned the Prime Minister as to why he had not visited the restive Manipur till now.
On Congress MP Engineer Rasheed’s party and Jamaat-i-Islami candidates joining the fray, former Union minister Bharatsinh Solanki said, “We are contesting elections with non-NC and non-Congress players. Our response is Rahul Gandhi’s ‘let’s unite the people’.”
Earlier, the Congress president had also warned the people of Jammu and Kashmir to be wary of the “deceptive tactics of the BJP”.
“Instead of focusing on the problems faced by the people like unemployment, lag in development, delay in restoration of statehood, the BJP is trying to mislead the public with irrelevant issues,” Kharg said.
He said the BJP’s promises, such as providing 500,000 jobs, were “just empty slogans”. Kharg accused the ruling party of allowing outsiders to control key industries such as mining and liquor contracts.
Elaborating on the Congress party’s plans, Kharg listed the ‘seven guarantees’ offered by the party to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which include health insurance of Rs 25 lakh per family; Rs 3,000 subsidy to every woman head of household; Dr Manmohan Singh’s Kashmiri Pandit Rehabilitation Scheme; constitutional rights of other backward classes, caste-based census and guarantee of land and job rights to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He also condemned the “threatening language against Rahul Gandhi” and said the Congress party would launch a protest. Kharge promised to revive the tradition of the “Darbar Movement” after coming to power.
Food security of 11 kg of food grains for each family member; insurance of all crops against natural calamities with a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 72 per kg for apples; additional financial support of Rs 4,000 per year to landless, sharecropper and owner farmer families; unemployment benefit of up to Rs 3,500 per month for one year for eligible youths and filling up one lakh vacant government jobs by issuing job calendars within 30 days are among the safeguards proposed by Kharg.
After the press conference, the All India Chamber of Commerce president arrived in Jammu later than planned and addressed a campaign rally over phone in Kuhl in support of the party’s candidate and former deputy chief minister Tara Chand.
Tara Chand later claimed in a media interview that the All India Christian Chamber of Commerce president was scheduled to address the campaign rally but could not reach the venue as “his (Kharg’s) helicopter could not get permission to land”.
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