Bhalla discusses political, security situation with Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, June 28: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) working president Raman Bhalla Friday met former AICC president and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at his official residence in New Delhi and discussed the political, security situation of J&K with him.

Bhalla congratulated Rahul on being elected the Leader of Opposition and winning both his contested seats with huge margins.

Earlier, the former AICC president discussed the overall political and security situation in Jammu and Kashmir with JKPCC leaders and asked them to launch an offensive against the BJP for its “failure” on various fronts.

Bhalla hailed Rahul’s “relentless fight to restore democracy, secularism and unity in the country” and appreciated his “indefatigable fight for the cause of the nation.” “His (Rahul’s) unwavering and determined grit for the people continued to rekindle hopes among millions of people across the nation; justice took its course and delivered a verdict that brought back hopes and happiness to many,” JKPCC working president added. He expressed confidence that as Leader of Opposition, Rahul would once again go a long way in voicing the concerns of the people of the nation. Rahul asked the JKPCC leaders to “unitedly fight the anti-people and anti-youth policies of the ruling BJP and defeat their divisive agenda in Jammu and Kashmir.” He asked them to strengthen the party and gear up their activities keeping an eye on the forthcoming assembly elections.

Bhalla apprised him (Rahul) about the political situation in J&K and the ongoing organizational activities of the party. He also discussed the feedback from the workers and people about the functioning of the present government and the role being played by Congress to represent and highlight the issues of the people of J&K.

On Friday, Bhalla had a separate one-on-one meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.

It was his first meeting with Rahul after the latter became the leader of opposition. Rahul said that his party was “deeply concerned about the rise in terror attacks in Pir Panjal in the last few years.”

“Modi government has left no stone unturned in betraying the people of Jammu & Kashmir... We are deeply concerned about the rise in terror attacks in Pir Panjal,” Rahul said. He further expressed his hope for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. “We hope to see full statehood restored to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh being made a state at the earliest,” he added.

“People of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh want change and want their voices to be heard too, and they conveyed the same to us, by the kind of strong support they gave to Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Congress party and are allies are strongly committed to the welfare, development and empowerment of J&K and Ladakh,” Bhalla said.

The meeting deliberated upon the latest political situation in the wake of the results of the recent Lok Sabha elections and the preparations for the forthcoming assembly elections in J&K.

Rahul asked the party leaders from the state to activate the cadre at various levels to highlight issues of the people and expose the “failures and falsehood” of the BJP. He said the leadership should highlight the issues of people in all three regions of the state with a view to launch an offensive against the BJP for its “failure” on various fronts.

Former AICC president also asked to highlight the “failures” of the central government and the erstwhile coalition government in J&K to come up to the expectations of the people on various vital commitments, Bhalla said.

The meeting had detailed deliberations on various aspects of the security and political situation and the measures to be taken for the strengthening of the party in J&K, he said. Bhalla also deliberated on chain of activities to be undertaken to increase the mass-contact programme of the party in the state.

The JKPCC working president invited Rahul Gandhi to visit J&K as all sections of society wanted to share their grievances with him. He said the situation of J&K had become adverse owing to the anti-people policies of the government. “Spiralling inflation, poverty, malnutrition, crime and challenges before the democratic values, constitution and constitutional institutions, can only be tackled by Congress. For this, everybody has to play an active role,” he said.

Urging the Congress workers to understand the pain faced by the people, Rahul said, “The history of the Congress has been to reduce the pain of every section of the country. This is our present as well as the future. Hence, our priority is the country and the people. Stand with them, share their pain, and work hard to help them get rid of the pain.” He also said that the BJP governments at the Centre and in J&K “committed the sin of pushing people into problems.”

Earlier on Thursday, a delegation of selected JKPCC leaders participated in a meeting convened at AICC for crucial discussions with Congress president Malikarjun Khadge, LOP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal.