Jammu, September 15: All India Chamber of Commerce Jammu and Kashmir state affairs in-charge Bharatsinh Solanki on Sunday said, “After the elections, the Congress-NCP government will definitely be formed,” adding that the party manifestos for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections have been prepared and will be released in a day or two.
Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that only the BJP government could grant statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Solanki said, “This is a farce. They are only making empty promises. Our question is why the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir has been taken away. What exactly is forcing the BJP?” he asked.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters, he said a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) would be prepared after forming an alliance government with the Congress.
“We are contesting in 90 seats; besides, our candidates are also conducting friendly campaigning. So, we will form an alliance government with the NC after the elections. We will then fulfil all the promises in our manifesto, which will be released before the first phase of voting. Despite our alliance with the NC, we will stick to our ideology,” Solanki said.
He said that for the party, the welfare of the people and restoration of the state’s status were more important than seats. Solanki said that the Jammu region, which had been peaceful until then, became turbulent after the BJP came to power, with frequent terrorist attacks.
“Assembly elections are crucial for Jammu and Kashmir. The entire country and the world are watching Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress party has been working towards inclusive growth in Jammu and Kashmir. For us, Jammu and Kashmir is a whole and hence we will resume the Darbar after coming to power,” he said.
Talking about the issue of reservations, Solanki said that the BJP had no clear provisions on reservations, but the Congress had made it clear that it would strengthen the rights of the disadvantaged sections.
Reacting to the PM’s remarks at the Doda rally on Saturday, the Congress leader accused the PM of “repeating old rhetoric in Jammu and Kashmir because the BJP has nothing new to offer the people despite being in power for a decade and bringing a lot of pain and suffering to the people.”
Along with All India Christian Council secretaries Manoj Yadav and Divya Madema, national media coordinator Dolly Sharma, JKPCC senior vice-president and chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, Solanki described the BJP’s manifesto as another ‘Jumla Pattar.'”Who is stopping the BJP from delivering on these promises that are being made now. People don’t want to believe in the same false promises again,” he said.
“The youth are facing the highest unemployment rate in the last 45 years. The unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir is the second highest while the unemployment rate among women is the highest in the country in Jammu and Kashmir. After the abrogation of Article 370, the youth were promised a job boom but they are facing the opposite,” he claimed. “The pensions of the elderly, widows and disabled have been stopped and they are forced to run around to get their pensions restored. Day labourers, needy workers and other such casual labourers including Anjawali workers, helpers, are being beaten with batons during their protests,” Solanki said.
He regretted that PM Modi, while addressing an election rally in Doda, did not offer a single word of condolence to the families of the two soldiers who were killed and two injured in a terror attack in neighbouring Kishtwar district. He reminded that in 2004, Dr Manmohan Singh had announced a massive infrastructure and development package of Rs 24,000 crore, which was later increased to over Rs 36,000 crore, as a result of which a lot of power infrastructure and road connectivity was enhanced in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Prime Minister and the BJP should state what they have done for the displaced communities in Kashmir as no solution has been given to their problems after former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh provided them with Rs 16,000 crore employment, relief and rehabilitation package. For the first time, youths from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are getting jobs in Kashmir, modern townships in Jammu and transit colonies being built in the Kashmir Valley,” he said. “We will continue Manmohan Singh’s package for them and create jobs for them,” he said.
Solanki referred to the “plight of farmers” whom he claimed had not received any relief for a decade.
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