Wave of change blowing in country: Solanki

AICC leader Bharat Singh Solanki addressing party convention in Jammu. — Excelsior/Rakesh
AICC leader Bharat Singh Solanki addressing party convention in Jammu. — Excelsior/Rakesh

‘Unemployment, inflation BJP’s gifts to people’

Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Jan 5: Stating that unemployment, inflation and ‘tax- terrorism’ are the gifts of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the people here, former Union Minister and senior AICC leader Incharge J&K affairs of the party, Bharat Singh Solanki today said that wave of change is blowing in the country and the people have made up their mind to throw out BJP during 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

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While addressing a maiden convention of the Congress Party at Paloura in Jammu after taking charge of J&K, Solanki, the son of two times Chief Minister of Gujarat-Madhav Singh Solanki, said the J&K has suffered a lot after abrogation of Article 370. He said instead of ensuring better development, the present Government added to the miseries of the people here. He said the feedback received from the leaders of his party has indicated that people are waiting for an opportunity to bring change in the political horizon of Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the miseries of the people here, Solanki said rising prices of not only essentials but all the items, fuel, unemployment and whopping taxes on the public are the gifts of BJP to the people. They ( BJP) only try to create wedge among the people by promoting politics of religion. Division among Hindus and Muslims by raising emotive slogans of divide and hate are dangerous for the country like India. The people can not be befooled for long. They have rejected the politics of religion and hate, he maintained.
While giving the example of neighbouring Himachal, Telangana and Karnataka, Solanki said the people preferred change there. He said the wave of change has been blowing in the country and people will take a wise decision this time. During next Parliamentary elections Congress may make come back by throwing out BJP. He said in Jammu and Kashmir also the Congress will win maximum seats including two from Jammu region and one from UT of Ladakh.
Solanki, a two times Union Minister for Railways and Power, further said that party leader Rahul Gandhi during his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, received massive support and love from the people of J&K. Despite militancy, the people walked with him shoulder to shoulder and made this Yatra a grand success. He said now another yatra has been started from Manipur to Mumbai and it will have great impact on the political horizon of the country. This Yatra is meant for love and brotherhood among the countrymen while BJP believes in dividing people and promote hatred among various communities, he regretted.
The AICC leader asked the party leaders and workers to strengthen the party in all the 90 constituencies from block to village and booth level and ensure the win of Congress Party not only in Lok Sabha but upcoming Assembly, Local Bodies and Panchayat elections here. He hoped that on the directions of the Supreme Court, the Assembly elections will be held in J&K anytime after Lok Sabha elections.
AICC general secretary and former JKPCC chief, G A Mir alleged that BJP has done great injustice to the people of J&K by snatching their rights and downgrading this historic State into two UTs. The land and jobs of the people have been snatched and they were made second class citizens. Massive taxes have been imposed and Toll Tax has been doubled. J&K has reached at number one in unemployment and youth is frustrated. The time has come to take revenge from this party and show it its place. The people in Himachal have thrown out BJP and it is going to suffer big defeat in J&K too, in coming elections. He appealed to the party cadre to gear up its activities and strengthen party in J&K.
JKPCC president, Vikar Rasool Wani said he took over the charge of J&K when a big leader from here left the Congress party along with many top and middle rung leaders.
“Accepting this challenge, we worked hard and managed to bring back many of our people and many more will come back in coming days as the graph of the party is rising day by day,” he added..
Wani said presence of the Congress Party is in all the 90 constituencies in J&K while BJP will be hardly in 25-30 segments. He said after abrogation of Art 370 BJP has created emergency like situation in J&K. The people are fed up of its misrule. It has failed on all fronts and only created fear and uncertainty among the people. Youth are without jobs. Unemployment has reached at peak. Mining mafia is plundering the State resources. Scores of more wine shops have been opened in Kashmir and Jammu region. Lands of the people have been snatched and most of contracts have been allotted to the people from outside J&K. Here is open loot of J&K resources and local BJP leaders have turned silent spectators. Toll which is generally hiked by Rs 10 or maximum 20 per year has been doubled. Public is being crushed. BJP failed to control Inflation. The people want to get rid of this ‘communal party’. He said Congress will grab maximum seats and is sure to form next Government along with its allies.
Senior party leaders and co-incharge Manoj Yadav, Tariq Hameed Karra, working president Raman Bhalla, former DyCM Tara Chand, Mula Ram, Ravinder Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Balwan Singh, NSUI national president Neeraj Kundan, Yogesh Sawhney, Tarlok Singh Bajwa, Ved Mahajan, S S Channi, Manmohan Singh, Hari Singh Chib, Rajneesh Sharma, Akash Bharat and others also addressed the gathering.
Earlier, Solanki and G A Mir were accorded grand reception by the party leaders at Jammu airport. Solanki, who arrived first time after attaining charge of J&K met several party delegations including former Ministers/Legislators and district presidents and took proceed from them. He will to Kashmir tomorrow and hold public meeting in Anantnag. From there, he will move to Srinagar the next day and after holding meeting at Congress office will leave for Delhi, party sources said.