After coming to power by making tall poll promises, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre had miserably failed on all fronts, and hence it was deflecting the people’s attention by raising sensitive issues, said JKPCC Working President while addressing prominent persons of Ward-48 Bahu Fort in Gandhi Nagar constituency on Thursday. Prominent among those present on occasion include General Secretary Distt Urban Latish Sharma, SC Cell Vice-Chairman Distt Jammu Deewan Chand, Vice President JKPYC Ricky Dalotra, Mulkh Raj, Balram Langeh, Sahil Shavotra, Mangat Ram, Gopal Sharma, Madam Babli, Madam Sheetal, Madam Meenu and others.
Speaking on occasion, Bhalla said BJP Govt failed to fulfil the poll promises made in 2014, like generating two crore employment opportunities a year, controlling inflation and fuel price, transparent governance, etc., was following seven ‘guiding principles’ of unleashing fear, maladministration, data manipulation, divide and rule policy, making false statements, the politicising war against terror and silencing dissents to deflect the people’s attention.
Innocents are being killed in Jammu and Kashmir. There is a departure of hope from Jammu and Kashmir. The Modi government, which speaks all the time of security, is missing,” Bhalla said. He also said that the Modi government made tall claims about eradicating terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir but badly failed on this front. He said India is surviving as a nation due to the good deeds of previous governments since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, and the present Modi government needs to introspect on whether it has been able to fulfil the basic needs of the people. He said a lot more needs to be done, adding that there are problems of inflation and unemployment has broken the backbone of the common person.
“But today, everyone is aware of what is happening in Kashmir and is scared. The situation in Kashmir is getting worse, but the government seems oblivious of it,” he said. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is getting worse with every passing day. No one knows where the BJP, which has been doing politics in the name of Kashmir for years, is missing nowadays,” Bhalla said. The BJP government has failed on all fronts, including a huge decline in job opportunities and policy of oppression, repression and denial of rights to the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe and other weaker sections of the society,” Bhalla said.
Bhalla claimed that the last seven years had been a story of unprecedented devastation, the abdication of responsibility and abandonment of India’s people by a government showered with all the love and affection. “This government is harmful to the country as it has betrayed the faith of the people of India. It is betraying the trust and the innate faith the people reposed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said. This deception of the worst kind was heaped upon 140 crores of Indians by a government they elected based on innumerable promises. So after seven years has come to do stock-taking. Time to ask why the country is suffering,” he said.
Bhalla accused the BJP government of “slowly but surely” undermining the values that a democratic polity should fiercely protect and called for a meaningful national debate on it and the failure of the ruling dispensation in fulfilling its promises. In a scathing indictment of Govt, he said key national institutions vital for good governance are experiencing unprecedented new strains. India’s neighbourhood is far less secure than in 2014, and its ties with its neighbours deteriorated in the last seven years.
He said people are not impressed by the figures that the Modi government is putting out to justify creating a large number of jobs. While industrial production and exports are stagnant, programmes like Make in India and Stand Up India, are yet to impact growth. He highlighted that demonetisation and hasty implementation of the GST have badly hurt enterprises, which are yet to benefit from the ease of doing business schemes. He termed BJP rule so far marked by perpetual confrontation with the Opposition, unaccountable centralisation of power and an authoritarian style of functioning.
The government’s tenure is marked by gross non-delivery, acknowledged failure to fulfil the promises given to the nation and a betrayal of the people, particularly the poor, disadvantaged and the unemployed. Until now, this government has singularly lacked the vision to galvanise economic growth and has chosen instead to create a smokescreen making boastful claims,” said Bhalla. People have handed you the power with faith and trust when you get a majority. The people’s needs and demands are very few. They need livelihood – roti, kapda makan (food, clothing and shelter) are important along with health and education facilities,” he said. He said the central government should “introspect” if this has been achieved in the last seven years. “More focus and hard work are required.
