*Hold elections in J&K, restore statehood: PCC chief
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 4: Congress today held a massive protest demonstration over the pre-paid Smart Meters, unprecedented price rise, record unemployment and Property Tax, besides seeking restoration of statehood and holding early Assembly elections.
A minor-scuffle took place at Residency Road between Congress activists and police when the later tried to prevent the march from proceeding towards Raj Bhawan. A large number of Congress workers including women carrying playcards and raising slogans denouncing the pre-paid electric meters system, property tax, unprecedented price rise , record unemployment, whole sale opening of wine shops in every nook and corner and other anti-poor steps of the Centre Govt. and the UT Administration.
Led by PCC president Vikar Rasool Wani along with working president Raman Bhalla and other senior leaders of PCC, former Ministers, Legislators, District presidents, Corporators, heads of Frontal wings of the party took out a massive protest march from Shaheedi Chowk towards Raj Bhawan via Residency Road where Police had a tough time to prevent the march from proceeding ahead.
The protest was organized by District Congress Committee Jammu Urban and Rural units, headed by Yogesh Sawhney and Th Hari Singh Chib.
The protestors raised loud slogans against the BJP led Central Government and the UT Administration for harassing the poor people who are already crushed under the unprecedented price rise of all essential commodities, large scale unemployment and tax terrorism of BJP Govt. The Congress workers also strongly raised the demands of restoration of statehood besides seeking restoration of rights for the protection of jobs and lands for local and holding of Assembly elections.
Speaking to the media-persons PCC president Vikar Rasool Wani lashed out at the BJP for harassing the poor and common people by imposing huge taxes leading to unprecedented price rise, and introduction of prepaid smart meters besides record unemployment, imposition of property tax and various other such anti- people actions.
He said that the poor people are unable to bear the huge taxes on all items including petrol and diesel and the poor people are finding it difficult to meet the both ends of life. He said the Congress will strongly raise the voice of people and fight against the anti-poor and anti-people decisions of the BJP and UT administration.
Raman Bhalla said that the BJP Govt is skinning the poor and common man through tax terrorism and there is record unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir . He said anti-people decisions of the Govt have snatched the livelihood of the people in J&K at the cost of outside mafia and locals are deprived of small business and trade.
Prominent among those who joined included Balwan Singh (Ex-MLA), Yogesh Sawhney (Ex-Minister), Ravinder Sharma (Ex-MLC), Rajnish Sharma, TS Bajwa (Ex-MP), Ved Mahajan(Ex-MLC), Gurbachan Kumar Rana (Ex-Minister), Indu Pawar (Ex-MLA), Krishan Bhagat (Ex-MLA), Ashok Dogra (Ex-MLA), Vinod Sharma, Manmohan Singh, Hari Singh Chib, MK Bhardwaj, Dwarka Choudhary, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pawan Raina , Shashi Sharma, Kapil Singh, Pranav Shagotra, Narinder Gupta, Sanjeev Panda, Gurmeet Singh, Parveen Sarwar Khan, Thomas Khokhar, Manjeet Singh Jatt, Ashwani Puri, Amrit Bali , HS Mehta, Satish Sharma, Narinder Sharma, Karan Bhagat, Suresh Dogra and others.
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