Exhorting the people to “teach the BJP a lesson for betraying their trust,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Ghulam Ahmed Mir on Friday said that the ongoing elections in Jammu and Kashmir are not just about electing MLAs or forming a government, but about teaching the BJP a lesson for its “treachery and anti-people policies.”

Addressing a poll rally in the border town of Chhamb near here, Mir said: “For too long, the BJP has taken our people for granted, making false promises and backstabbing us at every turn. They downgraded our prestigious Dogra state to a Union Territory, snatched away our special status, and reduced our State Subject to a mere domicile state. They even took away our Dogra certificate, a symbol of our pride and identity.”

“We have an opportunity to restore our dignity and honour. These elections are crucial for deciding the future of our people, and we must seize this opportunity to reclaim our rights and our voice,” he said, adding that “We owe it to ourselves, our children, and our beloved Jammu and Kashmir.”

“We must remember that it’s because of the Supreme Court’s intervention and the relentless efforts of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi that we’re having these elections,” Mir said, adding “Rahul Gandhi forced the BJP-led government to conduct assembly elections, giving us a chance to reclaim our democratic rights.”

“This election is an opportunity to script a new chapter in Jammu and Kashmir’s history, one of hope, dignity, and self-determination.”

Mir launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing it of depriving the people of Jammu and Kashmir of their fundamental right to self-governance by snatching away their statehood. Mir also criticized the BJP’s policies in the region, labelling them as anti-people and detrimental to the interests of the citizens.

Speaking on the occasion former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, who is the Congress candidate from Chhamb, said “The BJP has suffocated the people of Jammu and Kashmir by taking away their statehood.”

“This is a blatant attack on the democratic rights of our people, and we will not tolerate it,” he said.

“The people of Jammu and Kashmir are eager for a change,” he said, adding, “They have been suffering under the BJP rule, which has only brought misery and hardship to the region.”