BJP backstabbed Jammuites: Bhalla
Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Oct 16: To express their resentment against the establishment of Toll Plaza at National Highway at Sarore in Samba district, the Congress activists today came on roads and held a massive demonstration at the site of Toll Plaza in Sarore and demanded its immediate abolition.
The protest was held under the leadership of former Minister and senior vice president of the party Raman Bhalla and district president of the party and former Minister, Manjeet Singh.
The protestors raising slogans against the Union Surface Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) demanding immediate abolition of Toll Plaza. The protestors also made a bid to block the NH but the same was foiled by police.
Addressing the protestors, Raman Bhalla accused BJP led Government at Delhi of perpetuating loot in Jammu through Toll Plaza and the people are agitated over this anti public decision of BJP Government. He said that Congress stood with the sentiments of the people and it will not allow any party to hurt them.
Bhalla said BJP has misled the people by seeking their votes and later back stabbed them. But the masses will not forgive the party in coming days, he added. He said first the Union Government has imposed heavy penalties on the people of the country by amending the Motor Vehicle Act and now it has installed the Toll Plazas to fleece the poor people.
He said the tourists and yatris visiting the State will have to pay through the nose when Toll Plazas are installed at various places from Lakhanpur to Nashri and demanded immediate abolition of Toll Plaza.
Bhalla said by installing the Toll Plaza at Sarore, BJP itself has betrayed the mandate of Jammu region. He said earlier the former Minister and BJP senior leader has dismantled the Toll Plaza installed at the same place terming it an injustice with the people of Jammu but now how they are justifying their anti public decision. He alleged that BJP has miserably failed to do justice with Jammu region despite getting massive mandate in Assembly polls of 2014 and later Parliamentary elections in 2019.
Congress senior leaders Manmohan Singh, Vinod Mishra , Subash Bhagat , Babbal Gupta and Congress Seva Dal president Raj Kumar and others were also present.
NPP chairman and former Minister Harshdev Singh continued attacking BJP for installation of Toll Plazas in Jammu region and said that the party’s chameleon character came to fore when its senior leaders inaugurated the Toll Plaza with fanfare and photo ops, some days ago adding one more example of deceitful activity in its archive of skullduggery.
Anguished over a series of Toll Plazas coming on Jammu Highway, Harshdev Singh regretted that in view of the inappropriate banking of the road stretches and rising road mishaps on NH in Jammu region , the renewed attempt of NHAI to establish seven toll tax collection sites has raised many eyebrows.
Dogra Sadar Sabha (DSS) has termed installation of Toll Plaza at Sarore a discriminatory step of Government towards Jammu region and demanded its immediate abolition. DSS president and former Minister Gulchain Singh Charak while addressing the Core Group meeting of his organization today said public resentment is brewing in the entire region against the establishment of Toll Plaza in entire Jammu region in general and Samba and Hiranagar in particular.
The meeting said that the pilgrims to holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi will get delayed and they have to pay three Toll Plazas in short distance of two to three hours of drive.
The Public Rights Foundation and student activists continued their Toll_Satyagrah on 2nd Day against Sarore Toll Plaza. Amandeep Singh Boparai , Chairman Public Rights Foundation lambasted BJP leaders and opposition leaders on their criminal silence. He said that Toll Plaza is against common masses of Jammu. He said that if this Toll is not abolished then it will bring very adverse effects on general public of Jammu.
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