It was a day of protests in the winter capital of the state with different political and social groups taking their fight to the streets against the alleged “discriminatory policies” being pursued by the ruling PDP-BJP government.
All major city roads echoed with anti-government slogans while security personnel had a tough time preventing protesters from marching towards the civil secretariat, the seat of the government, which reopened in Jammu after a gap of six months.
Opposition leaders courted arrest to highlight the alleged failure of the government, especially the BJP, in addressing the genuine aspirations of the people.
Cong leaders court arrest
A large number of Congress activists led by J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir highlighted the “total failure of the PDP-BJP government on all fronts” at a sit-in near its headquarters, a few yards away from the Chief Minister’s official residence.
Raising slogans against the ruling government, the protesters tried to take out a rally to the civil secretariat but were restrained by the police.
Later, a number of Congress leaders and workers, including JKPCC chief, senior vice-president Sham Lal Sharma, chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma and several former ministers and legislators courted arrest.
“This government has miserably failed to live up to the expectations of the people. There is a strong resentment among the people against this government as it has not fulfilled its promises made at the time of Assembly elections,” Mir said.
NC protests govt ‘failings’
A strong contingent of the National Conference, led by party vice-president SS Slathia and provincial president Devender Singh Rana, assembled at the party headquarters here and marched towards the civil secretariat. However, they were stopped at City Chowk by the police.
All senior NC leaders, including former ministers, were stopped from marching towards the civil secretariat to lodge their protest against the government “failure” to address the genuine issues of the people. The protesters were detained and taken to Police Lines before their release.
“There is anger among people. The PDP-BJP has played with the sentiments of the people who voted them to power. People are not happy with their policies and the government has proved to be a failure. We have taken to the streets against governance deficit, lack of development and failure of the government to deliver on the promises made to the people of the Jammu and Kashmir,” Rana said.
Statehood demanded
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party activists also took out a massive “Lalkaar rally to expose the government’s failure on all fronts”. Thousands of party workers from all 10 districts of Jammu province gathered in the city and raised anti-government slogans. The party had called for the rally in support of its statehood demand for Jammu “to end the decades-long discrimination against the region”.
Opposition slams coalition govt’s ‘Failure’ on all fronts
