JAMMU: Expressing grave concern over unabated killing of soldiers in Kashmir Valley, President of Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) Pranav Shagotra on Thursday regretted that PDP-BJP Coalition Government has made security forces as “sitting ducks” in the Valley to appease and to keep anti-national elements in good humour for the lust of power.
Shagotra mentioned during the last four days six soldiers including one Major of the Army have attained martyrdom while fighting terrorists in the Valley.
Addressing a protest organised by the Youth Congress against failures of the State Government, Shagotra said that after demonetisation BJP leaders including Union Government have claimed that this step would break backbone of terrorism but the recent incidents negated all claims of the BJP government.
“Common people are suffering due to demonetisation but terrorists and other anti-national elements have no impact of it”, Shagotra said and observed that after demonetisation militancy incidents have increased manifold.
PYC President said that soft-separatism policies being propagated by the PDP-BJP Government in J and K has encouraged youth of pick up guns because this government has announced a number of incentives for those who were involved in attacking security forces by stones. State Government, in which self-pro-claimed nationalist BJP is equal partner, has announced a premium of Rs 5 lakh and government jobs for the family of those who were killed while attacking security forces in Kashmir Valley, he mentioned and added that such policies are encouraging youth to attack security forces. “BJP’s fake nationalism has been exposed”, he said, adding, “for lust of power BJP leaders can go to any extent.”
PYC further took BJP leadership to task for allowing its coalition partner PDP to brazenly bulldoze Panchayat Raj Institutions in J&K.
“PDP is all out to bulldoze Panchayati Raj Institutions in J&K and the so-called nationalist BJP is giving all support to its coalition partner to dismantle democratic institutions in the State”, he said and observed that decision of the State Government to conduct indirect elections of Sarpanchs was nothing but an attempt to snatch democratic rights of the people. “While in opposition BJP used to raise demand of extending 73rd and 74th Amendment of the Indian Constitution in J&K after getting power the party has shamelessly surrendered before the PDP to bulldoze democratic institutions”, PYC president said and added that ongoing delimitation process of Panchayats was also another gimmick of the Coalition Government to sabotage strengthening of the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Earlier hundreds of Youth Congress workers gathered at Exhibition Ground from where they started a protest march towards old city. As the slogan shouting workers marched towards Dogra Chowk, they were stopped by the police and cops resorted to unproved Lathicharge in which a dozen of Youth Congress workers were injured. Later over a hundreds of Youth Congress activists courted arrest as mark of protest against undemocratic behaviour of the Coalition Government.
Among those who joined the protest include Rajvir Singh, Pankaj Basotra, PYC General Secretaries Balbir Singh, Rajan Sharma, Chetan Wanchoo, Sandeep Singh Th. Hoshiar Singh, Vinay Sharma, Pankaj Sharma, Zaheer Abbas, Aijaz Choudhary, Sumit Sharma, Manjit Singh Sarkariya, Lucky Singh, Ramneek Singh, Divyansh Jamwal, Jagjyot Singh, Jatinder Chib, Ravi Kant, Gurpreet Singh, Amit Syal, Nimrandeep Singh, Kushwant Singh, Kunal Kholi, Aakash Bharat, Dayal Singh, Javid Iqbal, Mohammad Rafi, Vijay Hiteshi, Wasim Jalal, Vikrant Khajuria, Happy Randava, Sahil Langah, Prateek Singh, Gurvinder Singh Deepu and Arslan Malik.