R S PURA, May 29: Karan Bhagat, National Coordinator of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Scheduled Caste (SC) Department and Co-Incharge for Punjab in the party’s SC Department, today addressed a massive and enthusiastic gathering of Congress workers and supporters at RS Pura and Suchetgarh and called upon the party cadre to strengthen grassroots outreach and prepare vigorously for the forthcoming Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the gathering, Bhagat said that the Congress party has always stood as a voice of the poor, marginalized, farmers, labourers, youth, women, and Scheduled Castes, and urged workers to carry the party’s ideology, programmes, and public welfare agenda to every village, Panchayat, and urban locality across the Union Territory.He emphasized that the upcoming local body elections would be crucial in restoring democratic participation at the grassroots level and said that Congress workers must remain united and committed to strengthening democratic institutions in Jammu and Kashmir.
Bhagat alleged that people in J&KUT are facing numerous hardships due to unemployment, inflation, rising electricity tariffs, unscheduled power cuts, shortage of drinking water in several areas, deteriorating road connectivity, and lack of adequate employment opportunities for educated youth. He said that despite repeated promises, thousands of unemployed youngsters continue to struggle for jobs, while many recruitment processes remain delayed or entangled in controversies.He also raised concerns regarding issues affecting the Scheduled Caste community and other weaker sections in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that social justice and equitable development cannot be achieved without ensuring proper representation, educational opportunities, and economic empowerment for marginalized communities.
Highlighting the concerns of daily wagers, contractual employees, casual labourers, and temporary workers in various government departments, Bhagat said these sections have been waiting for regularisation and financial security for years. He added that farmers and border residents are also facing difficulties due to inadequate compensation, poor infrastructure, and lack of sufficient support mechanisms.The Congress leader further expressed concern over migration from rural areas, declining business opportunities, and the economic distress being faced by traders and small businessmen in the region. He said people were expecting responsive governance and concrete measures to address their day-to-day issues.
Launching a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bhagat accused the ruling party of diverting public attention from real issues through what he termed as a “campaign of misinformation and political propaganda” against the Congress party and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.He asserted that Rahul Gandhi has consistently raised people-centric issues including unemployment, inflation, social harmony, protection of the Constitution, and rights of weaker sections both inside and outside Parliament. Bhagat said attempts to malign the image of Congress leadership would not succeed as the people of the country are fully aware of the ground realities.He also alleged that democratic institutions in the country are under pressure and said the Congress party would continue its struggle to safeguard constitutional values, secularism, social justice, and the rights of every citizen irrespective of caste, creed, or religion.
Calling upon party workers to remain active at the booth level, Bhagat stressed the importance of direct public engagement and urged workers to listen to the grievances of common people and raise their issues effectively. He said that Congress workers must expose what he described as the “anti-people policies” of the BJP government and strengthen the organisation from the grassroots level ahead of the elections.Several senior Congress leaders, local representatives, youth activists, and party workers were present on the occasion and reiterated their commitment to work collectively for strengthening the Congress party across Jammu and Kashmir.