 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Dec 20: The JKPCC is gearing up for its much ambitious Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is set to reach in Jammu and Kashmir in third week of January . During the rallies and public meetings as part of the yatra, the Congress will discuss economic and political issues, such as unemployment, inflation, farm distress, social polarisation and threats to democracy.
In this connection a meeting of party functionaries was held here today at PCC HQ Shahidi Chowk Jammu under the chairmanship of PCC President Vikar Rasool Wani and Working President Raman Bhalla and attended by Thakur Manmohan Singh, Rajnish Sharma, Indu Pawar, Gurbachan Kumari Rana, Ashok Dogra, Krishan Bhagat, Pranav Shagotra, Yogesh Verma, Jahanzaib Sirwal, Sanjeev Sharma, Pankaj Dogra, Krishan Lal Gupta, Pawan Raina, Shashi Sharma, Dr. Karan Bhagat, Narinder Gupta, Rajvir Singh, Neeraj Gupta, Thomas Khokhar, Satish Sharma, Anoop Gupta, Dwarka Choudhary, Balbir Singh, Shakeel Shah,Phupinder Siungh, Sumit Magotra, Uttam Singh, Hoshiar Singh, Babal Gupta, Gurmit Singh, Pankaj Sharma, Kulbir Singh Pathania, Col Swarn Singh Prem Singh and others
Speaking on the occasion Vikar Rasool Wani said that Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is set to reach in Jammu and Kashmir in third week of January, the Congress, during the yatra, will take up the issue of alleged suppression of the voices of people and denying constitutional rights in the country. He said during BJP regime, the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. Common people are distressed by sky-rocketing inflation and unemployment. Kisans and khet mazdoors are being buried under debt. The assets of our country are being sold to crony capitalists at a huge loss. Socially, we are being divided based on caste, religion, food and language. Every day a new conspiracy is hatched to make one Indian fight another. There is a growing sense of insecurity amongst the people, especially among women, he alleged.
He said that the "Efforts are being made in a systematic manner to subvert our Constitution, dismantle our institutions, hollow out our democracy, and destroy our unity and fraternity. State governments are being destabilized by money power and misuse of agencies. People of all categories including Dalits and backward classes are being deprived of their basic rights - jal, jangal and zameen," he stated.
Raman Bhalla accused the government of "working mainly for the wealthy rich" and not focusing on the majority of people. He said that India "We stand at the 101st rank in the World Hunger Index, which means we are becoming a Vishwaguru in hunger. Farmers are unable to recover their costs, as the prices of fertilizers, seeds, etc increase. On the one hand, prices are rising, and on the other, farmers don't have prices guaranteed for their crops. Small businesses and traders were hit hard by COVID-19. People working outside formal jobs like labourers and street vendors have also been badly hit," Bhalla alleged.
Raman Bhalla said that issues which matter to the country are rarely discussed in the media or in Parliament and there seems to be a "conspiracy to only focus on issues which divide our society". India " badly needed" a Bharat Jodo yatra," the party leadership explained.
He said, the party is aiming to join together the country to tackle these challenges. "We must come together, hold hands, and understand the power of unity. We must start a movement to get rid of the politics of division and hate, strengthening social harmony along the principles of 'Unity in Diversity' and 'Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava'. During the Yatra, we will walk through villages, towns, and cities, meeting people, understanding their plight and finding solutions to their problems,"
Bhalla said that we are planning to involve and engage with civil society in our ambitious yatra. Anyone can take part in it while the yatra covers their areas. The party expects political parties, social activists, intellectuals, writers, artists and eminent people, as well as ordinary people to join the rally as it passes through their areas. The party has made its social media handles and website available for those who are unable to physically participate in the yatra to watch it online, he added. |
