Jammu, Apr 19: J&K Congress President Tariq Hameed Karra on Sunday alleged that the Centre’s policies are widening the gap between the government and the people in the Union territory.
Karra cited the failure of the Centre to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and the growing unemployment problem in the UT as key concerns.
Leading a bike and car rally from Kullian to Rameshwar Dham in the RS Pura sector near here, Karra reiterated that the Congress will continue to raise its voice both inside and outside Parliament against the denial of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Centre’s policies have widened the gap between the government and the common man. Despite the formation of an elected government, the BJP is deliberately delaying the restoration of statehood it had promised, and instead using the lieutenant governor’s office to implement its decisions without consulting the public,” the Congress leader alleged.
Karra also cited some pressing issues affecting Jammu and Kashmir, including “unemployment, inflation, weakening of democratic institutions, and marginalisation of local voices in governance”.
“The people of J-K are grappling with economic distress, lack of job opportunities for youth, and inadequate attention to border and rural development,” he claimed.
Karra also accused the Modi government of diverting attention from real issues by engaging in “headline politics” while ignoring the hardships faced by the farmers, youth, marginalised sections, refugees and border residents.
The Congress leader also attacked the BJP over the recent developments surrounding the Constitution amendment bill to tweak the women’s quota law, alleging that it reflected the Modi government’s “anti-women and anti-democratic mindset”.
“The government tried to mislead the public by camouflaging its recent move under the guise of women’s reservation, but failed in its nefarious attempt to push delimitation without conducting a census,” Karra said.
The Congress, on the other hand, remains committed to ensuring adequate representation for women in decision-making bodies, as it ensured 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies.
