‘Statehood core issue of all people in J&K’
* Coordination Committee coming up shortly
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: While dismissing the rumours of any rift with the National Conference, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president, Tariq Hameed Karra today said that his party is very much part of the Omar Abdullah-led Government in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
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Karra dropped hint on the formation of a Coordination Committee, comprising members of Congress and National Conference shortly.
“We are on a campaign for the restoration of Statehood and meeting people and workers. The Congress has its own constituency and wherever we talk to the people about our programmes on issues like Statehood, they also talk about various concerns and it is our duty to raise these issues with the government for redressal,” Karra said while talking to media-persons here.
Replying to a question Karra said, “We are a part of the government. We can give advice to the Omar- led Government. We can raise the issues of the people and if you want that the issues of the people should not be discussed, then it will not be fair to the people.”
The JKPCC chief revealed that he was expecting a coordination committee will be formed soon to avoid unnecessary misgivings in the Jammu and Kashmir.
Karra said JKPCC has been on a 15-day campaign in Jammu region in support of its demand for immediate restoration of Union Territory to the Statehood since February 13 and has organised workers’ conventions in five of the 10 districts in the region so far.
“Restoration of Statehood is not Congress Party’s core issue alone. It is the core issue of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as despite promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Amit Shah within and outside the Parliament, nothing has been done so far. There are also Supreme Court guidelines that Statehood should be restored as soon as possible after the Assembly elections,” Karra asserted.
Questioning the silence of BJP leaders who have got a massive mandate in Jammu, the Congress leader said the saffron party leaders should clarify their stand on the Statehood and also inform the public why they are not raising the issue with the Central leadership if they are in support of the Statehood.
JKPCC chief said despite the formation of the popular government in October, last year, several bureaucrats are still functioning in an authoritarian manner like they were doing during LG Administration and referred to the conditional permission granted to the party in holding its workers convention in Kishtwar district on Wednesday.
“In Kishtwar, we saw something where we feel that democracy has not been restored even after the elections. We witnessed autocracy prevailing in the district in the name of democracy. We were not given permission to hold outdoor meetings and were also directed that you cannot speak about the situation,” he said.
“On one hand, BJP is claiming that the situation has improved in J&K but on the other hand, there is a mindset which portrays that democracy has not been restored. We were not there to create a commotion. There was no anti-national activity,” he added.
The Congress leader and the people in general are worried about the delay in the restoration of Statehood and also wanted redressal of their day-to-day issues like supply of electricity, water, tourism promotion, employment generation and regularization of daily-wage workers and SPOs who are providing their services for decades together. There is a demand of special power package in Chenab valley districts where major hydro-electric power projects are under construction, he said.
Karra also defended his son Waleed, a doctor, attending an official meeting chaired by Health and Education Minister Sakeena Itoo in Srinagar recently and said he was there in the capacity of constituency-Incharge of the Central Shalteng seat.
He called for review of the Indus water as the time had come for the same. The people of J&K have suffered the most due to the Treaty and should be taken special care.
Karra said people in the `so -called’ Smart Cities of Jammu & Srinagar are not getting regular water and are being taxed while putting them in great hardships by Municipal Corporation authorities to deposit online money for tanker service, which was free earlier in unsmart city. It’s duty of the Government to provide uninterrupted water and power supply especially in Smart Cities for which tax is charged.
The people are being fleeced for power tartiff hike and meters. People in rural areas have been imposed water tax without regular supply of water.
The Jal Jeevan Mission and claims of ‘Har Ghar Nal, Har Ghar Jal’ have yieled no results so far and Nal have been installed but no Jal in most rural areas as revealed by people in most parts.
Karra also expressed concern over the incidents of killings at Billawar in Kathua in recent days and demanded that truth should come out in a time frame.
PCC chief was accompanied by senior leaders Raman Bhalla, Ravinder Sharma, Yogesh Sawhney, Ved Mahajan and others.
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