‘Want to decentralize powers, preserving local cultures’
Jammu: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday tried to strike an emotional chord with the people of Jammu and Kashmir stating that his family belongs to J&K and he considers himself as the representative of J&K people in New Delhi. He quickly added that his doors were always open for party workers.
“You know my relationship with you. It is not a political connection. It is a relationship of love and that of my family’s background. My family comes from your state,” he said addressing workers in Jammu, adding, “So, you should always feel that you have a sepoy in Delhi. I am your sepoy. Whatever you need, my doors are always open for you. You only have to give me an order, and I will be present before you.”
He was addressing Congress party’s workers meeting in Jammu on the second leg of his 2-day long Jammu and Kashmir visit.
Stating that Congress wanted statehood for Jammu and Kashmir before polls but ‘arrogant’ BJP denied.
Rahul further said that elections are going to be held in four states but they decided to visit J&K first, not for polls but to give a message to people of Jammu and Kashmir and country that after Independence J&K was the only state that was downgraded to Union Territory. He said in the history of country, India promotes representations to people by upgrading states like Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Telengana but J&K was divided and downgraded.
“Jammu has its own culture and history. This is the land of Mata Vaishno Devi. The party wants that we should protect everyone’s culture and history in the country and you should have a voice in your government,” he said, adding that “BJP wants to run the entire country from Nagpur, whereas Congress’ idea is to de-centralize. We want your voice in Assembly and Lok Sabha, that is why we want statehood”.
He said the Congress is engaged in a battle of ideologies with the BJP. “It is a fight between the ideologies of Congress and the RSS.” On the issue of ticket distribution by the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul expressed his desire to see tickets being given to grassroots workers. “They should have the opportunity to become MLAs. I want to see them in assembly.”
He also called for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood at the earliest. He said the people of J&K have gained nothing under the current regime, which has handed over all the region’s resources to “outsiders”.
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister Narendera Modi, Rahul said Modi’s body language and confidence have drastically changed after the parliamentary poll results.
In an apparent dig at former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, without naming him, Rahul told the party workers, “When there was a difficult time, and you and your ideology were under attack, you still fought on the ground, keeping the flag flying high. Several people threw down the flag and ran away. You did not run away. You faced bullets, sticks, and abuses, and stood your ground firmly. I call you the lions of the Congress.”
Asserting that the Congress and its workers have shaken Prime Minister Modi’s confidence, Rahul remarked he has lost the self-assured body language he displayed before the elections.
“Congress workers have given him so much psychological tension that his confidence has been badly hit. Congress workers have forced him to bow before the Constitution. He is not the same PM he was before the elections,” he added. He affirmed that the Congress will continue to challenge the BJP across the country.
“Whenever they try to do any mischief, they will find the Congress challenging them. The Congress and its workers have saved the Constitution and democracy in the country. We will thwart their design. They will not be allowed to pass their bills,” he said—(KNO)
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