Srinagar- Senior Congress leader Salman Soz Friday said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was still a part of the INDIA bloc at the national level even as the regional party is contesting the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls on its own.
He also said the BJP wants to create divisions in Jammu and Kashmir and turn it into another Manipur. “They are pitting brothers against brothers and that is why Manipur is burning and they want to burn J-K as well,” he told a press conference here.
Soz said all parties which are not with the Congress or INDIA bloc in J-K are with the BJP.
“The INDIA alliance contested the election in West Bengal, but Mamata’s party (Trinamool Congress) was contesting on its own and we were on our own. In Punjab, the AAP and we were contesting separately,” he said.
“We are together at the national level and the PDP is also with the INDIA alliance at the national level because our fight and struggle are between INDIA alliance and BJP-RSS and its proxies,”Soz said.
“The PDP is a part of the INDIA alliance, but they are contesting separately because they have their own strategy and we cannot dictate them on their strategy,” he added.
CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami is also a member of the INDIA alliance, Soz said, adding all others are with the BJP in one way or the other.
On Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks that the people of Jammu will form the government in J-K this time, the Congress leader said it is as if the people of the Valley do not matter to them.
“They are saying this because they think they can consolidate the vote in Jammu through division, by pitting brothers against each other, and then fragment the vote in Kashmir by fielding proxies, independents and smaller parties. But, I want to tell them the people of J-K are together,” he said.
He said the BJP wants to create division and make J-K like Manipur.
“This is their politics. They are pitting brothers against brothers and that is why Manipur is burning and they want to burn J-K as well. But, the people here will not allow that as they are united. They are waiting for the elections and I am sure NC-Congress will form the government in J-K,” Soz said.
Unemployment In J&K Highest In 45 Yrs
The Congress accused the BJP of misleading people of Jammu and Kashmir on the issue of employment, claiming the Union Territory currently faces its highest unemployment rate in 45 years, ranking second highest in the country.
“Contrary to claims by Union Minister Anurag Thakur and LG Manoj Sinha, Jammu and Kashmir ranks second in the country for unemployment with a rate of 28.2 per cent, as per the data,” AICC National Media Coordinator, Dolly Sharma, told reporters here.
Sharma claimed Jammu and Kashmir is going through an unemployment crisis as approximately 25 lakh youngsters are seeking jobs.
“BJP is making false claims on employment, while the reality is that J&K has the highest unemployment in the last 45 years and the second highest unemployment rate in the country under BJP regime,” she said.
The Congress leader added that “our young women are particularly affected, facing the highest unemployment rate in the country at 48.6 per cent”.
Since 2019, 65 per cent of government posts remain vacant across various departments, amid reports of recruitment scams, Sharma said, adding that “promises made by the UT administration post the state’s downgrade have largely remained unfulfilled”.
“Over 60,000 daily wage workers continue to earn a mere Rs. 300 per day for over 15 years, despite promises of regularisation,” Sharma said. “Many youths hoping for secure government jobs now find themselves in precarious contract-based roles.”
AICC Media Coordinator for Jammu, Onika Mehrotra, highlighted instances of corruption and irregularities in government recruitments, pointing to cancelled selections and prolonged delays in regularising contract workers.
“Following the abrogation of Article 370, BJP promised job opportunities and industrial growth, but these claims have not materialised,” Mehrotra said. “Instead, the issuance of 12,000 domicile certificates to non-natives has further compounded job challenges for local youths.”
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