Rattan Lal Gupta, Provincial President of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) in Jammu, has urged the Election Commission of India to conduct the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir concurrently with the upcoming Parliamentary elections. He criticized the current government for its inability to address the numerous issues faced by the people of J&K, emphasizing that the swift establishment of a popular government is the sole solution to these problems.
The senior NC leader made these remarks while addressing the meeting of the JKNC Schedule Caste Cell at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan in Jammu. The meeting was chaired by Vijay Lochan, Chairman of the SC Cell, and attended by party officials from Jammu and Samba Districts.
At the start of the meeting, the provincial office bearers, along with District and Block Presidents of the SC cell, informed the senior party officials about the various challenges faced by the SC community under the current government. They expressed concerns that nobody in the administration is addressing their issues, and the Scheduled Caste community is being neglected.
Rattan Lal Gupta, raised questions on the achievements of the first four phases of the much-hyped ‘Back to Village’ program, launched by the govt which is now launching its fifth phase. He claimed that people’s problems remain largely unchanged to this day.
He pointed out that school buildings in rural areas remain unsafe, there is no improvement in water supply and electricity conditions, medical facilities in rural areas are deteriorating, and the concerns of farmers and unemployed youth have not been addressed. He stated that the government failed to fulfill the promises made to the villagers during the previous four phases of Back to Village.
The Provincial President lamented that the LG administration has failed to restore confidence among the people, which could have been achieved by reinstating democracy in J&K. He questioned the Election Commission of India, asking why they can conduct Parliament elections in J&K but hesitate to hold Assembly elections. He suggested that this exposes the saffron party’s fear of an impending defeat in the Assembly elections and called for the immediate restoration of democracy by holding elections.
Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Provincial Secretary of JKNC, called on party members to prepare for the upcoming elections and ensure the party’s success, teaching the BJP a lesson. He asserted that only the National Conference can deliver social justice to the SCs and other marginalized community members and urged them to support Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah. He also asked party members to strengthen the party at the grassroots level.
The meeting was attended by several party officials, including Rakesh Singh Raka, Vice President of Central Zone, Satpal, Krishan Datt, District President of Samba SC Cell, Jatinder Singh, District President of Jammu Rural B SC Cell, Master Baldev Raj, Jagga Ram, Lal Ji, Mangat Ram, Kuldeep Raj, Karan Singh, Mohinder Kumar, Rattan Lal, Ashwani Kumar, and others