Priyanka recalls family’s ancestral bonding with J&K

JAMMU : Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi today took a dig at the union Home Minister Amit Shah for telling the people of Jammu and Kashmir that if they wanted statehood to be restored, they should vote for the BJP.

She also jibed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dedicating half the time of his speech talking about her family, but not talking about the real issues concerning the country.

She alleged that the BJP was using JK as a pawn in its game of chess to exploit the sentiments of people across the country. She also recalled her family’s deep ancestral bonding with J&K.

Addressing a massive public rally here today, Ms Gandhi asked Shah, why did the BJP snatch away the statehood at the first instance? She said it was like a thief putting a condition for the return of stolen goods, while referring to Shah telling people of J&K that if they want to get back statehood, they must vote for the BJP.

The Congress general secretary accused the BJP government of snatching away the democratic and Constitutional rights of the people of J&K. She pointed out, they were denied the democratic right to choose their own government for years.

She alleged that Jammu and Kashmir right now was being ruled by a Lieutenant Governor who’s not from J&K, and extending all the benefits to the outsiders. She said, like the Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the centre was extending all benefits to his two friends Adani and Ambani, LG Manoj Sinha was doing the same thing for his friends.

Ms Gandhi recalled her family’s deep bonding and association with the state of Jammu and Kashmir. She said her grandmother Ms Indira Gandhi had come just 4-5 days before her assassination to Jammu and Kashmir. She disclosed that she (Ms Indira Gandhi) decided all of a sudden to visit J&K and pay obeisance at Mata Khir Bhawani’s shrine and after returning to Delhi, she was assassinated within a few days.

She said, Jammu and Kashmir had been endowed with unparalleled natural beauty, spiritual wealth and great minds, which had made their mark not just in India but across the globe. She alleged that the BJP was now trying to snatch these resources, land and jobs from the local people. She criticized the BJP for taking away the rights and resources of the people here. She pointed out how most of the mining and other contracts were being given to outsiders.

The Congress general secretary referred to the massive unemployment prevailing in JK. She said, there were one lakh vacancies in the state which the government was not filling up. She promised that once the Congress forms the government all these vacancies will be filled up immediately.

Ms Gandhi announced that once the Congress forms the government, the statehood will be restored. She said, the educated youth will be provided an unemployment allowance of Rs 3500 every month. Besides, the woman head of the family will be provided Rs 3000 every month.

For healthcare, she said, everyone will get a health insurance cover worth Rs 25 lakhs which will cover treatment for all the major illnesses. She declared that the ‘smart’ electricity meters will be done away with while the pending arrears of the electricity charges will be waived off.

She also said that the 150-year-old practice of ‘Durbar Move’ will be restored once Congress forms government in the state.

For the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, she said, Dr Manmohan Singh’s policy for their return and rehabilitation will be implemented.