JKPCC President and AICC Incharge lead protest against property tax, price rise, and unemployment

Kathua, March 06, 2023:- Congress today held “Hatha se Hath Jodo Abhyan from Ram Leela Ground Kathua to Nagri  Adda,  to highlight the most burning  issues, especially to oppose property tax, bulldozer drive, price rise, rise unemployment, innocent killings & other problems faced by people, especially restoration of statehood and early assembly elections in J&K. The programme was organized by President District Congress Committee Kathua Pankaj Dogra.

Led by former Union Minister and AICC Incharge Hath Se Hath Yatra campain in J&K, Shri Bharatsinh Solanki, JKPCC President Vikar Rasool Wani,Working President Raman Bhalla,  Pankaj Dogra, Narinder Gupta, Nirdosh Sharma, and others, amidst raising slogans “ property tax vapis lo, “ Bulldozer Drive against poor band karo”, “Mehnghai ko kabu karo kabu karo, Berozgari dur karo, Masoomo ki Hatya band karo besides Nafrat Chhodo-Bharat Jodo, the protestors carried play cards, nation flags and party flags. They marched from  Ram Leela Ground Kathua to  Nagri Adda, in Kthua District along with hundreds of workers. The march started at 9 am &, covered main markets and highway area.

Addressing the gathering at Nagri Shri Bharat Singh Solanki said that the Hath se Hath Yatra cum agitation programme is the second phase of Bharat JodoYatra , which shall culminate at the end of this month, covering various districts and constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that there is a palpable economic crisis brewing – joblessness among the youth, unbearable price rise, severe farm distress, and a complete corporate capture of the country’s wealth.”People are worried about losing their jobs, their incomes are falling further, and their dreams of a better future are shattering and there is a deep sense of hopelessness  amongst the people and through this programme, Congress party is duty bound to  highlight the various issues of people faced in different parts like imposition of property tax, snatching lands from poor through bulldozer, unprecedented price hike, record unemployment and other arbitrary orders of government..

 Solanki accused  Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring critical issues facing the country and it seems he has no time to address pressing issues like inflation, sluggish economic growth and rising unemployment. The people of the country are struggling with rising inflation and the youths are finding it difficult to get jobs. The Prime Minister is not even talking about the problems being faced by farmers, he said.

Speaking on the occasion,  Shri Vikar Rasool Wani said through Hath Se Hath Jodo campaign / protests, Congress party will take its fight forward with a series of protests against the price rise and unemployment in the coming weeks.  He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir are suffering because BJP and the Congress will expose this before the people of the State. He lashed out at the government for the unprecedented price rise of all commodities especially LP gas, petrol, diesel, eatables making difficult for the poor to survive. Without satisfying over this, the LG administration has imposed property tax on common people which should be withdrawn.

He referred to the bulldozer drive against the common people who are in occupation for decades for livelihood. He demanded regularising the lands and shops of common man. Shri vikar Rasool Wani lashed out the BJP for giving miseries to the people of Jammu kashmir by downgrading the historical state, removal of rights to lands and jobs, imposing huge taxes and large scale unemployment and other arbitrary orders. The government fails to protect innocents especially minorities.

He demanded restoration of statehood and early assembly elections to restore democracy to solve people problems.

JKPCC Working President Shri Raman Bhalla launched a scathing attack against the government, saying India was no longer a democracy, but a dictatorship. “India is witnessing the death of democracy,” he said. “What India has built brick by brick, starting almost a century ago, is being destroyed in front of your eyes. Anybody who stands against this idea of onset of dictatorship is viciously attacked, jailed, arrested and beaten up.” He accused the central government of making the lives of people miserable and betraying people. Shri Bhalla strongly opposed the property tax, eviction of poor and common man, check on price rise and rising unemployment and job scams. He expressed concern over continued targeted killings and arbitrary orders of UT administration.

Other prominent leaders who participated included S/Shri Naresh Sharma,  Subash Chander, Sahil Punia, rajnish, Ajeet Basotra, Vikas, Narinder Khajuria, Paramjeet Singh, Arun Mehta, Vishal Andotra, Yog Raj, Jatin, Vinay Kumar, Tarsem Pal Saini, Mohinder Pal, Nek Mohd, Pawan Sharma, Amit Gupta,Gurdev Singh, Amin Bhat, Jevan Kumar , Sat Paul Bhandari, Sanjay Rajdhan, Vishu Andotra, Sohan Lal Soni and Ravinder Raul Singh.

Shri Pankaj Dogra expressed gratitude to the people for the support to the Yatra cum agitational programme and said that more such protests shall continue.

#HathSeHathJodoAbhyan #OpposePropertyTax #StopBulldozerDrive #EndPriceRise #StopInnocentKillings #RestoreStatehoodJandK #EarlyAssemblyElectionsJandK

#EndUnemployment #ProtectMinorities #SaveDemocracy