JAMMU Dec 13:Kick starting its campaign for the forth coming elections to the Urban Local Bodies in the state, the Congress today organized a mammoth rally at Muthi in Raipur Domana assembly segment part of the Jammu Municipal Corporation, to gear up the party cadres in the state.
President JKPCC Mr. Ghulam Ahmed Mir alongwith all senior leadership of the party besides legislators and prominent leaders addressed the huge rally, where a prominent Gujjar leader having considerable mass base in Poonch, Choudhary Abdul Gani joined the Congress party alongwith his hundreds of supporters, who had come in large number to join the party. Choudhary Gani had left National Conference (NC) on the eve of last assembly elections and contested as independent candidate from Haveli (Poonch) securing around 18000 votes. The rally was organized here today by Shri Mula Ram-former Minister and Senior Congress leader Th. Hari Singh Chib.
Addressing a massive gathering of party workers, PCC Chief Mr. G. A.Mir said that the poll promises of BJP and PDP have proved to be mere bluffs and people are fed up with the policies and sheer opportunism of two parties. Both the parties took the extreme positions on most of the emotional issues and exploited their respective constituencies to the hilt, with a false and deceptive promise to keep each other out of power, if voted in strength. The people could not see through their tactical game plan and gave BJP an unprecedented strength in Jammu while PDP gained on these slogans in Kashmir. What happened thereafter, when the two parties took a complete U-turn on their respective positions and promises to the people made during elections, as a result the people feel betrayed and cheated. The people want to teach both the parties, a lesson, for having taken their sentiments and emotions for a ride, in order to enter the corridors of power.
Mr. Mir said that the Prime Minister Mr. Narinder Modi spread falsehood about the Congress party and UPA but soon the people in different parts have felt that the elections slogans were coined as mere ‘Jumlas’ and the BJP government has failed to fulfill even a single promise. Instead of ‘Achhe Din’, people now want return of old days, as the prices of all essential commodities have been touching the record highest rates so far and government has utterly failed to provide the ration as per old scales to each family as per 2001 censes, while its misleading people of the state on the claim of providing ration as per 2011 censes.
He (Mir) asked people to take cue from the recent verdicts of Bihar assembly elections and Panchayat elections in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narinder Modi, where BJP has got a drubbing for its falsehood. He urged them to sound signal of change in the up coming elections to the local bodies and Panchayats for which Congress under leadership of Shri Rahul Gandhi fought a political battle to empower these institutions in the state in order to ensure greater participation of people in shaping their development.
PCC Chief said that a large number of mass-based leaders are eager to join Congress party in various parts of the state as they realize the pulse of the people at the grass root level, however party would take its own time to assess the ground situation in the days to come, hinting at joining of more such leaders from other parties.
Choudhary Abdul Gani who joined the party today in his address said that he and his supporters had the option to join any other party including the ruling one, in view of his performance in the last assembly election, but he choose the Congress party because of its secular policies and the mood of the people to strengthen Congress for a bright future of the state and the nation.
Senior Vice President Sham Lal Sharma; EX-MP Madan Lal Sharma; Vice Presidents Mula Ram, G.M.Saroori-MLA, Kanta Bhan; MLA Ch. Mohd. Akram; General Secretaries Shabir Ahmed Khan, Shah Mohammad Choudhary, Ch. Shah Nawaz, Sdr. S.S.Channi, Namrata Sharma, Faqir Nath; Rajnish Sharma-(Co-Tresurer); M.K.Bhardwaj, Maheshwar Singh; Ex-MLA’s Shiv Dev Singh & Girdhari Lal Chalotra; Shashi Sharma, Shamsher Singh Chib, Indu Pawar,-Ex-MLA, Uma Shanker Pandey-IYC Secretary, Udhey Singh Chib- Secretary All India NSUI, Shiv Kumar Sharma (INTUC), Pranav Shagotra (PYC), Neeraj Kundan (NSUI), Rajni Bala, Taj Hussian Mir, Hira Lal Pandita, Ashwani Puri, Pawan Singh, Neeraj Gupta, Choudhary Masood, Surinder Gupta, Talinter Singh, Raj Dev Singh Sanjeev Sharma were prominent among those who attended the rally.
Former MPand senior Congress leaders Mr. Madan Lal Sharma while welcoming Ch. Abdul Ghani into the party, appreciated the efforts of the PCC leadership to make the party vibrant in all parts of the State during the past few months by organizing activities in the length and breadth of the State. He also expressed satisfaction that the ongoing membership drive of the party has got tremendous response despite being in opposition. He said that people are totally disillusioned with the present PDP-BJP dispensation in the State and the Modi Govt. because of their failure to come up to the expectations of common people.
Addressing the gathering Mr. Sham Lal Sharma lashed out the BJP for its total surrender on the core issues, which it used to exploit the people of Jammu region all though these years, like Article 370, citizenship to West Pakistan refugees, philosophy of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and all other issues of people of Jammu region. He said that it has exposed BJP’s double standards for power, while PDP leadership is making contradictory statements on vital issues concerning the state. He said that the two parties have completely betrayed their respective electorates and every section of the society is facing great hardships due to the wrong policies of the present dispensation.
Former Minister Shri Mula Ram in his address thanked the people for making the rally a ground success and said that the people are totally disenchanted with the programmes of centre and state government. He referred to the plight of farmers, border residents and employees, workers and unemployed youth, who feel neglected and betrayed. He regretted that the degree college set up in the area during his tenure as minister an MLA from the Constituency has been closed down and shifted to other location and the artificial lake project which was proposed by him to boost pilgrim tourism keeping in view the Baba Jitto pilgrimage was not taken to the logical end.
He said that Congress was instrumental in the incorporation of 73rd and 74thAmendment to the state for empowerment of Panchayti Raj Institution System (PRIS) and urged people to strengthen Congress in the state to bring about change in the future.
Mr. G.M. Saroori -Vice President lashed out at the centre and state government for its failure to fulfill even a single promises. He said that the Congress party is emerging stronger in all areas of the state and it would vigorously expose the wrong policies of the PDP-BJP government, accused the two parties of hoodwinking the people during elections. He said that the winds of change have already started from Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat and other parts against the Modi government. The recent package for the state is an eye wash and there is repetition or extension of the ongoing projects and schemes approved by the UPA government.
MLA Kargil and former Chief Executive of Kargil Hill Council Mr. Asgar Karbalai said that Congress alone can ensure harmony in the pluralistic society and keep the country united and marching on the path of progress and prosperity. He described the present alliance as totally unholy, which has no takers in three regions of the state.
Choudhary Mohammad Akram-MLA welcomed Choudhary Gani into the party and said that it would strengthening Congress in the twin border districts of Poonch-Rajouri. He said that the present coalition has failed to honour the aspirations of people and failed to deliver on the ground.
Thakur Hari Singh Chib welcomed the PCC President and other senior leaders and participants in the rally and said that the workers are the backbone of the party and their participation in large number reflected the mood of the people to further strengthen the party at the grass root level.
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