BJP selling assets created by Congress from 1947-2014: Raman Bhalla

Suchetghar, September 04:  Congress Party leaders and activists on Saturday continued strong protest against National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) being implemented by the Centre and continuous hike in the price of LPG, petrol and diesel at Suchetgarh. The protest was organized by DCC Rural Jammu.  Former Minister &JKPCC Vice President Raman Bhalla, DCC Rural President Hari Singh Chib, DCC Rural Sr. Vice president Sarpanch Ravinder Singh and Vice Presidents DCC Rural Ch. Mohan and joined by Block President Sham Lal Mehra, Block President Kuldeep Raj,  Joginder Lal, Capt Bhagwan Singh, Bopinder Singh, Jagir Singh, Shamsher Singh, Bansi Lal, Santokh Singh, Harbansh Lal, Ram Lal, Ramesh Lal, Jaipal Singh, Narian Singh, Thoru Ram, Sham Lal, Gardarli Lal, Melk Ram, Ajeet Singh, Sandeep Singh, Ajeet Singh, Krishan Lal, Balbir Singh, Parveen Kumar, Khem Raj, Satpal Mandi, Charanjeet, Avtar Singh were leading the protest. Congress leaders held placards against the policy demanding o drop the idea to put on sale the hard-earned national assets. Meanwhile, an effigy of BJP Government was also torched to express resentment over the policies the programme of Union Government.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla claimed the NMP is an “almost bargain garden sale” put up by the government. This whole rhetoric about putting these assets on rent and not on sale is hogwash. The NMP that has been launched with much fanfare is nothing but India on a grand sale. Roads, railways, power transmission, power generation, gas pipeline, telecom, warehousing, mining, airports, ports, stadiums — all are being privatised,” he said. The government should stop playing with national assets. We urge the government to get off its high horse and stop putting India on sale,” Bhalla said. He said the government has not replied to two very basic questions. “What’s the criteria that have been adopted to select these (assets) and what is their aim? Anything the government undertakes there has to be a goalpost. But this government is hell-bent on creating monopolies which we have seen in the past,” the Congress leader alleged.

 Taking a jibe at the Centre, Bhalla said that the Centre has announced National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) to sell national assets created by the Congress from 1947-2014. Emphasising on the allegations made by the BJP that Congress has done nothing in 70 years, the leader said, “that’s the difference between worthy and unworthy son, between Congress and BJP. Modi ji says nothing happened in last 70 years. Then what are you selling?” he asked. Furthermore, he said “BJP has refused to debate in the Parliament over issues like inflation, unemployment, Pegasus, anti-farm bills in Lok Sabha. If these issues will not be taken up, then where did it be then,” he added. Bhalla asserted that the NMP poses serious questions on the country’s integrity and security. “I want to ask what is stopping the international funds to make an investment and take a stake in these important assets,” he stated.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla termed proposed 70 Union Ministers’ visits to Union Territory an “eyewash”, accusing them of avoiding disgruntled people and troublesome areas after serious blunders one after another in J&K.He said during the early visit of Union Ministers, they randomly selected places of their tour in consultation with their local party colleagues, ensuring that troublesome areas were omitted from their itinerary and disgruntled people are avoided.”The ministers’ visits to Jammu and Kashmir are only an eyewash and have nothing to do with aspirations of people,” he said, adding that these trips proved to be “pleasure trips” .Even in the Jammu region, he said Union ministers were indulging in the inaugurations of petty development works with their speeches full of “tired shibboleths”. Asserting that ministers’ sojourn to J&K under the name and style of “Public outreach programme” was only an eyewash, Bhalla said that it had nothing to do with the aspirations of the people. The people were being hardly taken on board during the said programmes. Former minister termed BJP ministers reach-out programme of Union Ministers claiming to change the destiny of the people of J&K political gimmick to befool the masses. Bhalla said that like the much-touted Back to Village (B2V) programmes, this exercise will also be a flop show. He said the aim of the ministers’ visit is a mere eyewash to divert the attention of the people from the complete failure of the BJP.

Bhalla strongly resented the shortage of Vaccines in the rural areas of the border belt. He expressed surprise over handling of the covid situation as third-wave imminent,  there is still a shortage of vaccine in rural areas. He demanded expeditating the vaccine to show that the danger of the third wave could be minimized.

Bhalla said at a time when unemployment is on the rise in Jammu and Kashmir and people are not being paid their salaries, the J&K Government is organising a visit of Central ministers.The BJP led NDA Government has betrayed and cheated the refugees of 1947, 1965 & 1971 from PoK and those from West Pakistan. Bhalla said that the package of one-time settlement of refugees of 1947, 1965 and 1971 comprising financial assistance/ex-gratia relief of Rs 25 lakhs per family amounting to over Rs 9000 crore along with several other concessions including reservation to their wards was recommended by the previous Congress Government to the Centre, after hot pursuit by the Congress and various organization of refugees. Bhalla said the growing disappointment among people against BJP over governance deficit has completely unnerved the non-performing BJP Govt. Instead of getting into the functional mode, the Government is struggling to put its act together by indulging in patchwork and cosmetic makeover in a bid to be seen in command of the situation.

Bhalla said that Congress has always advocated and supported to fulfil the demands of border people and refugees. In the middle of the coronavirus outbreak, which has caused chaos in people’s lives on all fronts, he said that the enormous price rise on essential items has badly impacted the people of J&K, causing suffering and turning their lives upside down. He lambasted both the BJP governments at the Centre and J&K for the increase in the prices of essentials goods, fuel. He also lashed out at the government for its failure to solve the unemployment problem and the controversy over the contentious farm law. He said prices of petrol, kerosene, diesel, cooking gas and essential commodities are on the rise in a rapid scale. The governments, both in Centre and J&K, have completely failed to control the situation and provide relief to the common man. He said We reside in a democratic country where every citizen has a right to protest against the anti-citizens policies of the government and it is the duty of public servants to listen to everyone whoever approaches him and accept their grievances and forward the same to the concerned authority.

DCC President Rural Hari Singh Chib claimed that the Union government is yet to take steps to check the price hike of essential commodities. The NDA government does not seem to have any plan of action to tackle this “economic emergency” that is having its fallout on the common man, he added. Stating that skyrocketing prices of essential commodities have broken the backbone of poor people who fail to make both ends meet under such a state of inflation, the government seems to be standing along with ‘sab ka Vikas slogan with affluent and rich people only while giving a damn to the burning problems of common masses, Chib further added. Taking a dig at the helmsmen, he said that the price spike of essential commodities is the outcome of the inability of the government who have failed utterly to contain it in spite they seem least bothered about the problems being confronted by the people who feel cheated, exploited and pickpocketed themselves in BJP regime in every sphere of life, Chib added.