Working President of Congress Raman Bhalla on Saturday accused the BJP of having betrayed the people of Jammu by coining emotional slogans and making false promises during elections and then forgetting the commitments after winning the elections.

Bhalla was addressing a meeting of prominent refugee leaders in the border area of Ranbirsinghpura in Jammu. He alleged that the BJP exploited the electorate on different slogans on the name of religion, regions and caste but it was a tool to seek votes through these emotional issues.

Bhalla strongly raised the issue of PoJK refugees who feel cheated and betrayed. It was the Congress party which had framed a resettlement package for PoJK and Chhamb refugees and forwarded it to the Central government but instead of the recommended relief of Rs 30 lakh per family, only Rs 5.5 lakh per family was sanctioned by the BJP government. A large number of eligible families are still deprived of the relief, he claimed.

Bhalla said that the prevailing political and security scenario in J&K tells the story of total failure of the Central government which left the erstwhile state in total chaos. The Congress leader accused the BJP of being habitual in raking up controversies to divert the attention of the people from their failure to provide a credible government in J&K.

“There is no accountability in the administration as a result of which the people are suffering on all fronts,” he said. Bhalla said the bureaucratic connection with the people is at an all-time low.

In the current spell of LG’s rule, the people have no access to the top echelons of the administration, especially at a time when the entire Jammu region is reeling under acute power and drinking water crisis apart from unprecedented inflation, he said.

Bhalla asked the administration to wake up from its deep slumber and attend to the problems of the people as the entire union territory is reeling under shortage of basic necessities. He expressed anguish that the J&K bureaucracy is showing “scant regard” to the issues being raised by public representatives.

Bhalla expressed serious concern over the difficulties confronting the people in the absence of a democratic system in J&K. He said J&K was divided into two Union Territories against the wishes of the people and they were now being denied their democratic rights by the BJP aiming to hide its wrong policies and utter failure. The Congress shall continue to fight for the democratic rights of the people and ensure justice, he added.