India News | Reject Those Doing Politics on Basis of Religion: Azad at J&K Rally

Gandoh/Jammu, Dec 21 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad exhorted people on Tuesday to reject those doing politics on the basis of religion and said Jammu and Kashmir as well as the entire country are going backwards instead of moving ahead in the past seven years.

Targeting the BJP government, he said those treating people on the basis of religion or party affiliation and are unable to provide justice equally have no right to remain in power.

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"India did not remain as it was seven years before and likewise, J&K did not remain the way it was some three or four years ago. We are witnessing a lot of changes.... We are heading backwards," Azad said.

Addressing a large public meeting at Bhallesa village of Gandoh in Doda district, the Congress leader, without naming the BJP, said people across the country are suffering due to joblessness, inflation and poverty.

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"In our times, the change was development and prosperity oriented. We constructed roads, schools, hospitals and brought smiles on the faces of people, including those living in far-flung areas. We did not discriminate against people on the basis of religion and community and worked for everyone without considering their party affiliations," the former chief minister said.

He said, “We want this country and J&K to be a paradise but there are some who want to turn this region into a hell. This is against humanity."

Azad said leaders are meant to provide justice to the people irrespective of their religion, party affiliation or region.

"All religions speak about serving humanity and this is our policy, but today it is not happening and people are being discriminated on the basis of religion and party affiliation,” he said, adding “such type of people are not worthy of running a government and they should leave politics and return to 'puja paath' (worship).”

Criticising the Jammu and Kashmir administration for taking away land from the people which was under their occupation for the past seven decades on the pretext of encroachment of state land, the Congress leader said this government is wearing black glasses and is pushing the people towards poverty.

"This government is deaf and blind but talking 24x7. They do not see poverty and unemployment,” he said, adding “we will not allow them to destroy J&K.”

Reiterating his demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and early conduct of assembly elections to end the “bureaucratic rule” to provide popular government to the people, he urged the gathering to bring down the “walls of hatred” and reject the politicians who are doing politics on the basis of religion.

He termed the abrogation of Article 370 providing special status to J&K and its bifurcation into two union territories a “tragedy” and said the people had never dreamt of such a development.

"Every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of their religion and region, went into a gloom following the August 5, 2019 development,” he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)