STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Congress will not allow the Land Acquisition Bill to pass in Parliament, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
“We will not allow the bill to pass in Parliament,” Azad told reporters here on Sunday .
“Today there is worst situation for farmers. We had passed a law in 2013 for the benefit of farmers. Now they had brought the bill and PM is saying that it is not to benefit the Ambanis but I tell him it will benefit Adani,” he said.
Hitting out at the Narendra Modi government, Azad said it was not rooted to the ground causing a sharp fall in its popularity graph within a brief period.
“Modi government has suddenly and sharply shown the fall in its graph. They are not rooted to the ground,” he said. The Congress leader also criticised Prime Minister for not being in Parliament.
“He is seen only on Twitter.
Earlier, PM used to stay in Parliament. It is because of this, the other state government also face downfall in popularity,” he said.
Azad also called for grant of AIIMS in Jammu region and IIT and IIM in Kashmir region.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Azad has stated that having two capitals in Jammu and Kashmir, “There is a practice of giving equal treatment to both the State Capitals when it comes to setting up of institutions or creation of infrastructure”. He has referred to the establishment of two Central Universities or two State Cancer Institutes, one each at Jammu and Srinagar, saying these are a few such live examples of parity being maintained between the two regions during UPA period. He has also referred to the geographical conditions, challenging terrain and extreme weather conditions and sought one additional AIIMS at Jammu so that people of Jammu region will also avail of tertiary healthcare facilities unhindered and uninterrupted throughout the year.
Similarly, Azad has emphasized the need for setting up of IIT and IIM in Kashmir as well to allay any feeling of neglect or discrimination.
Meanwhile, Pradesh Congress President G A Mir has said that his party was not defeated by BJP or PDP in the state but from the groupism and ignoring the party workers while in government.
Mir, who was addressing one-day convention of District Congress here today, said “Congress has been damaged from within by our own people. I will have zero-tolerance against those people who are out to damage the party even if it would be my close people”.
Mir said “During my over 60 days of assessment after taking over as Party chief, I found two main reasons for debacle of Congress in Assembly polls”.
While one is groupism within the party and another is ignoring Congress workers by the party leadership while party was in rule, he said.
“Since 2002, Congress was in rule for 12 years, we had Ministers, MoSs and people at top places in the state government, but we ignored workers and activists and gave no respect and dignity to them,” Mir said..
“They were behind our victory in 2002 and 2008 assembly elections, but they were lax during 2014 elections which resulted in our defeat,” state Congress Chief said.
Calling for ending groupism and respecting party workers, Mir said we should close five and six doors of powers and factions in Congress to make it powerful.
“Workers are backbone of Congress and we will empower them”, he said. “I am grass root worker and my first important party component is my grass root worker.”
On his being made party president, he said “I have not come via parachute to head Congress but I am grass root worker. I am not son of any Minister or anybody else”.
Azad complimented Mir for his being made party Chief in J&K and said “Mir sahib is grass root level worker and have activated and given boost to morale of the workers in just two months period”.
“I want to congratulate him (Mir). He had made party vibrant in just a short span of time,” Azad said.
Azad however, said that groupism is a national ailment in the Congress party and time has come to stamped it out.
Former Member Parliament Madan Lal Sharma lambasted the BJP for surrendering the issues of people and their ideology for over six decades regarding Article 370, issues of West Pak and PoK refugees and border residents who are facing the brunt of Pakistan firing and other issues which the BJP always championed. He said the party is exposed before the people and accused it of betraying the people of Jammu region.
Senior Vice President, Sham Lal Sharma lashed out at the PDP-BJP coalition for its failure to secure the package forwarded by the NC-Congress coalition to the tune of Rs 44,000 crores for the Relief and Rehabilitation of the flood and rain affected people in the State as a result people are facing hardships. He added that the farmers are suffering in the entire State because of loss of crops, vegetables and fruit due to recent rains, while the government has failed to provide any relief to them. He also lashed out at the anti-youth recruitment policy of the State Government.
Raman Bhalla, while referring to the promises of the BJP to the people of Jammu region during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, said they have compromised the interests of the people and their agenda on which they exploited the people Jammu region in the name of empowerment and justice to the region.
CLP leader, Rigzin Jora said that the unholy combination of PDP and BJP has no takers as the two parties are exposed for their double standards and double speak. He accused BJP of rousing the regional and religious emotions of the people in Jammu region but now has surrendered on all issues including on issues of security and integrity of the State.
