Jammu:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing his first poll rally in J&K ahead of the coming elections, on Saturday cited his government’s efforts to bring peace and development to the troubled region as he lashed out against the “most corrupt” Congress and the other dynastic parties like the NC and the PDP, who had “sinned” against the people by depriving them of their rights and allowed terrorism to flourish.

In his address at the rally in Doda district, the PM said, “The Congress is the most dishonest and misleading political party in the country. And its ‘Royal Family’ (the Gandhis) is the most corrupt political family of the country.”

“The petty politics and mean thinking of the Congress leaders became clear during the Congress President’s (Mallikarjun Kharge) visit to J&K recently. He said if their party had 20 more seats in the Lok Sabha, they would put BJP leaders, including Modi, in jail… 2014, 2019, and 2024. After 60 years, the country’s people have three times given us an opportunity to serve them. We run the government to crush corruption… for the welfare of the common man… Whenever there is no positive approach, then they have no agenda but to put people in jail. They should have talked about J&K’s welfare but only talked about sending people to jail,” he said.

PM Modi commended the gathering’s high level of ‘josh’ (enthusiasm).

“I am seeing that our sisters and daughters have come in such large numbers to bless us. I am highly grateful to you. Your love and blessing will be returned threefold by me by working harder for the country. We together will make a safe and prosperous J&K. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.

Attacking the dynastic parties, he said: “The political parties you trusted did not care for your children. They did everything for their own children. These people never allowed new leadership to emerge. You know that after 2000, there were no Panchayat elections. No DDC polls were held. These dynastic families never allowed talented youth to come forward.”

“In 2014 after coming to power, I tried to empower the local youth. Panchayat and urban bodies elections were held so that democracy reached the grassroots level and youth came forward. After local bodies elections, 30-35,000 youth came forward and took the reins of power into their own hands. The development that took place here during the last 20 years, owes itself to these youth. Today I salute the Josh of youth, whether a male or a female.”

PM Modi termed the elections a fight between three families – the Congress, the NC, and the PDP – and the young generation of J&K who have come forward with dreams of a better future.

“In J&K, these three families have done a sin against the people. These families encouraged and patronised land encroachers and people had to beg even for routine facilities. Only those who were close to these three families were employed in government service. This created the ground for separation and violence and was taken advantage of by the enemies of the country.”

“This region (Chenab Valley) is a witness to the worst period of violence. Even before sunset, undeclared curfew would begin. All businesses and life activities would shut down.”

“Today terrorism is on its last legs. Stones thrown at police are now used to build the ‘Naya Kashmir’. Who has done all this? Not Modi alone, but all this has been achieved by the people of Doda and other places.”

The Prime Minister said that they had promised to remember Tikka Lal Taploo who was killed by terrorists on this day three decades before, and terror let loose on the Kashmiri Pandit community in its wake.

“I felicitate the J&K BJP for promising the Tikka Lal Taploo scheme to give Kashmiri Pandits their rights.”

“Our daughter, (BJP’s Doda candidate) Shagun Parihar’s father and uncle were killed by terrorists. We have fielded her here. She is not just our candidate, but she is the living example of the BJP’s resolve to finish terrorism,” PM Modi asserted.

He said the parties, who ruled for J&K for decades, never bothered about the future of people’s children.

“Modi is worried about you and the future of your children. All children should get an education and move forward. We opened new schools and colleges here. We opened a medical college in Doda.”

“In our manifesto, we have announced the Pandit Prem Nath Dogra employment scheme. We will make this region a heaven for tourists. I am told that film shooting in Doda did not take place after terrorism. We promise to change this so that film units not only from the country, but also from abroad, come here. We have announced a new film policy. J&K will dominate films in India and the rest of the world,” the PM said.

On the key demand, PM Modi said that his BJP will give statehood to J&K, “but be careful of those, who for their benefit, deprived you of your rights”.

“They now keep a copy of the Constitution in their pocket without any respect for it. They have injured the soul of Babasaheb (Ambedkar)… otherwise there would not have been two Constitutions in one country. They did not give their rights to Paharis nor did they even speak about SC, OBC reservations.”

“Under the garb of Article 370 and 35A, our daughters were deprived of their rights. The election manifestos of the NC and the PDP say they will get Article 370 back. What does it mean? They will deprive Paharis, STs, SCs and OBCs of reservations, first-timers of their voting rights, and also deprive women of their rights to ancestral lands. There would again be stone pelting, hartals…” he warned.

Amid his address, the PM walked over to the BJP candidates sitting on the dais and appealed to people to vote for them.

The PM will again visit J&K on September 19 to address a rally in Srinagar and another in Katra town of Jammu division.

J&K goes to vote on September 18, September 25, and October 1. Counting will take place on October 8.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir:

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday announced five guarantees for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, including five lakh interest-free loan for women entrepreneurs and Rs 25 lakh health insurance per family, if the Congress-NC alliance is voted to power in the Union territory.

Campaigning for the alliance candidates in this south Kashmir town, Mr Kharge also said the Congress-NC government will give Rs 3,000 monthly to the women heads of families besides promising to restore the provision to give 11 kg grains per person through the public distribution system.

He said the promise for rehabilitation of Kashmir Pandit migrants, which was made during the term of Manmohan Singh, will be fulfilled.

The OBCs will also get their rights as enshrined in the Constitution, he added.

The five guarantees were read out by the Congress president in presence of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and other senior Congress leaders, including K C Venugopal and Subodh Kant.

Mr Kharge said there were one lakh jobs vacancies in Jammu and Kashmir but the current dispensation appointed by the BJP-led Centre is not filling them as “they want to keep people of Jammu and Kashmir poor”.

“We will fill these vacancies. They did not bring any industry, hence no job creation. We will focus on tourism and manufacturing. More than 4,400 government schools have been closed in the past several years. We will reopen them as we will focus on education,” the Congress president said.

Mr Kharge reiterated that the party will strive for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir while promising to restore a bi-cameral legislature in the Union territory.

“We will strive to get statehood for J-K. The bi-cameral House will be restored. They (BJP) keep asking how we will do it? When people are with us, we will do it as it is people’s power,” he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chandigarh:

Wrestler-turned-politician and Congress candidate for Haryana Assembly polls Vinesh Phogat filed her nomination from the Julana seat on Wednesday and appealed to people for their support so that her party could form a government under Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s leadership.

The Congress has not declared its chief ministerial candidate for Haryana and has maintained that if it comes to power, the party’s legislators and the high command will take a call on the matter.

Addressing a gathering in Julana after filing her nomination, Vinesh Phogat said, “Give your love and blessings to Congress so that it forms government under Bhupinder Hooda ji’s leadership and the development works that were stalled for the 10 years resumes.” 

The Congress’ Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda and Sonipat MP Satpal Brahmachari accompanied the Olympic wrestler when she filed her nomination.

During her address, Vinesh Phogat also said, “Satpal Brahmachari sir has said Bhupinder Singh Hooda has to be made chief minister. You will have to work hard for that.” 

Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest last year against then Wrestling Federation of India chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, recently joined the Congress.

Speaking to reporters, Deepender Hooda said Poghat will secure a “big win”. Not just the Julana seat, the Congress is going to secure an absolute majority and form government in Haryana under the leadership of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, he said.

“People have made up their mind that under Hooda Sahab’s leadership, the Congress has to be brought to power and BJP has to be ousted,” he said.

After filing her nomination, Vinesh Phogat said, “It is a matter of great happiness for me… In wrestling, we have learnt that never take your opponent lightly.” The wrestler-turned-politician, whose in-laws belong to Julana, said people of the assembly segment have reposed their faith in her and she will try to live up to their expectations. “They treated me more as a daughter than a daughter-in-law,” she said.

Referring to the wrestlers’ protest, she said they had to struggle on roads and face lathis. Vinesh Phogat thanked Deepender Hooda for extending support to them during that period.

Deepender Hooda said, “Phogat took on the system and the government for our daughters’ respect. It was not an ordinary struggle… that struggle will not just act as an inspiration for players only, but to the entire country.” 

The BJP has fielded Yogesh Bairagi, a former commercial pilot, against Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat in the Jat-dominated Julana Assembly segment. Before foraying into politics, Vinesh Phogat (30) retired from wrestling following the shock end to her Paris Olympic campaign. She was the first Indian woman grappler to reach the Olympics final but was disqualified after being found overweight by about 100 grams in her 50-kilogramme category weigh-in.

Voting for the 90 assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and votes will be counted on October 8.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Congress on Sunday released a list of nine candidates for the Haryana Assembly polls, fielding Brijendra Singh from Uchana Kalan and Mohit Grover from Gurugram.

With this list, the Congress has declared a total of 41 candidates for polls to the 90-member assembly.

Besides Brijendra Singh and Grover, the Congress fielded Ashok Arora from Thanesar, Kuldeep Sharma from Ganaur, Paramvir Singh from Tohana, Anirudh Chaudhary from Tosham, Balram Dangi from Meham, Manju Choudhary from Nangal Chaudhary and Vardhan Yadav from Badshahpur.

The Congress on Friday declared 32 candidates for the polls, fielding former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, state unit chief Udai Bhan from Hodal and wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Julana.

The party had first released a list of 31 candidates and a little later, in a statement, said the CEC had approved the candidature of Balbir Singh from the Israna (reserved for the Scheduled Castes) constituency.

Balbir Singh is the incumbent MLA from Israna.

The grand old party has renominated all its 28 MLAs.

Besides Hooda, Bhan and Phogat, the Congress has also fielded Mewa Singh from Ladwa to take on Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

The Congress is also engaged in seat-sharing talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Haryana polls, with hard bargaining going on from both sides.

Some Congress leaders have expressed reservations over a tie-up with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

The 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on October 5 and the counting of votes will be undertaken on October 8. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Looking to get the first-mover advantage in the Haryana Assembly polls, the BJP has released its first list of candidates, declaring names for 67 out of the state’s 90 constituencies. The list includes the names of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who will be contesting from the Ladwa constituency, and former minister Anil Vij.

Mr Vij will be the BJP’s candidate from the Ambala Cantonment constituency, a seat he has won three successive times since 2009.

Mr Saini, who was an MP from Kurukshetra until he replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the Haryana chief minister in March this year, currently represents the Karnal Assembly seat, which he won in a bypoll in June. 

The other candidates include Ambala Mayor and former Union Minister Vinod Sharma’s wife Shakti Rani Sharma, who will be contesting from the Kalka assembly constituency. Ms Sharma is the mother of Manu Sharma, a convict in the Jessica Lal murder case. 

Shruti Choudhry who left the Congress and joined the BJP with her mother – Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Choudhry – in June has been given a ticket from Tosham. Three former legislators from the Jannayak Janata Party, which was the BJP’s ally until this year, have also been fielded. These are Devender Singh Babli from Tohana, Ram Kumar Gautam from Safidon and Anoop Dhanak from Uklana. 

Some of the other inclusions are Deepak Hooda from Meham, who has been the captain of the Indian Kabaddi team, and Union Minister Om Prakash Dhankar, who will be contesting from Badli.

The party has decided to drop some MLAs, including some ministers, and the list includes eight women. 

MP Naveen Jindal’s mother, Savitri Jindal, who was widely expected to get a ticket from Hisar, has not made the cut and the party has decided to stick with the incumbent, Kamal Gupta, who is also a state minister.

The upcoming elections in Haryana will be crucial for the BJP, especially because it won only five of the state’s 10 Lok Sabha seats after sweeping all of them in 2019. It will be an opportunity for the party to prove that it remains popular with voters after failing – for the first time in 10 years – to achieve a majority on its own in the general elections.

The Congress, which is seen to be gaining ground in the state, is also likely to pose a challenge and could emerge stronger if its alliance talks with INDIA partner AAP are successful. The party believes it has a strong chance of dislodging the BJP, which has ruled Haryana since 2014. 

Haryana will vote on October 5 and counting will be held on October 8.