Congress willing to forge pre-poll alliance in J&K

Srinagar, Aug 22 (PTI) Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday expressed his willingness to forge an alliance with other opposition parties for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls and termed the ruling BJP's promises to the people of the Union Territory "jumla".

Kharge, along with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, spoke to Congress leaders and workers here on Thursday to get feedback about the party's grassroots-level preparations for the Assembly polls.

"This was the first meeting after the polls were announced.... We are here to seek the views of local leaders and workers for the polls and alliances. Under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, we have taken the initiative to restore statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. We promise to work towards that," Kharge told reporters here.

He said Gandhi is interested in forging a pre-poll alliance in the Union Territory.

"Rahul Gandhi is interested in contesting the polls unitedly with other parties in Jammu and Kashmir. We have had success as well. We have seen the results in the Lok Sabha polls. The INDIA bloc stopped a dictator from coming to power (at the Centre) with an absolute majority. This is the biggest success of the INDIA bloc," Kharge said.

The Congress president said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is worried after the Lok Sabha polls as some of the legislations it was keen on passing in Parliament have either been withdrawn or sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

He claimed that the BJP used to take advantage of its brute majority in Parliament to pass anti-people laws like those on the farming sector.

About Jammu and Kashmir, Kharge said not a single promise made by the BJP to the people of the region before elections has been fulfilled.

"Not a single promise made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir before polls has been kept. They are all jumla," Kharge said.

The saffron party downgraded the erstwhile state into a Union Territory and the people here were not given any rights, he said, adding that there is no legislative council, no panchayat or municipality. "The people have been kept away from democracy," Kharge said.

He said the Assembly polls have been announced in Jammu and Kashmir only because of the Supreme Court's direction that the election be held by September 30.

"I want to tell the BJP and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi sahib that try as you might, you will not be successful in suppressing the voice of people. You cannot suppress their aspirations. In a democracy, the voice that matters is the voice of people, and we will continue to support the voice of people.

"We will be with the people. We will fight shoulder to shoulder with them for their wishes and aspirations. This is our promise," the Congress chief said.

He said if elected to power, the Congress will work on job creation, bringing investments and giving a boost to horticulture and tourism as well as small-scale industries.

Kharge also said all secular forces will work together towards the restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

"We want peace and prosperity to be restored in Jammu and Kashmir. There is violence on the border, infiltration and terror. They (BJP) used to say that when Article 370 (of the Constitution) goes, it will stop terror and bring prosperity. Where is the prosperity? Unemployment is increasing, there is price rise and their atrocities are also increasing across the country," he said.

The Congress president also said Gandhi will travel to all the poll-bound states.

The Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will be taken up on October 4.