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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addresses a public meeting for J&K Assembly elections, in Anantnag. (Photo: PTI)
With the campaign season heating up for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge promised five guarantees to the people on Wednesday, if the Congress-National Conference alliance wins.
The Congress president said that women entrepreneurs will get Rs 5 lakh in interest-free loans and Rs 25 lakh in health insurance coverage per family.
जम्मू-कश्मीर के लिए कांग्रेस की गारंटी —???? 1 लाख खाली पदों पर भर्ती
???? परिवार की महिला मुखिया को हर महीने ₹3,000
???? परिवार के हर सदस्य को 11 किलो चावल
???? ₹25 लाख का स्वास्थ्य बीमा
???? स्वयं सहायता समूहों में शामिल महिलाओं को 5 लाख रुपए का ब्याज मुक्त कर्ज
????अनंतनाग,… pic.twitter.com/6kF94otkOc
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 11, 2024
During his campaign in the Anantnag constituency of South Kashmir, Kharge promised to restore statehood, provide a monthly stipend of Rs 3,000 to women-led households, and increase the rice allocation to 11 kg per person under the Union Territory’s public distribution system (PDS).
During the election rally in Anantnag, Kharge said, “We will jointly get statehood of J&K restored and will fight for it, if the National Conference (NC) and Congress government comes to power in J&K. I promise we will get both Houses, Assembly and legislative council restored.”
This marked Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s second visit to Jammu and Kashmir since the National Conference (NC) and Congress declared their joint candidacy for the upcoming Assembly elections last month at NC President Farooq Abdullah’s home.
During his campaign in South Kashmir, where Congress is vying for four seats — Devsar, Dooru, Tral, and Anantnag West — Kharge, accompanied by Congress General Secretary PC Venugopal, highlighted the party’s five key promises and pointed out that there are currently 100,000 vacant positions in J&K.
100,000 jobs for the youth of J&K, says Kharge
Kharge said, “If we come to power, we will fill all 100,000 vacancies. We will employ young people,” he said, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to keep people of J&K poor.
Kharge emphasised that their primary focus will be on boosting tourism, manufacturing, employment, and industrial growth. He also mentioned plans to reopen all closed schools and to address the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandit migrants. Additionally, the Congress president promised to honour commitments made during the administration of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
He assured that Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Jammu and Kashmir would receive the constitutional rights guaranteed to them.
The Assembly elections will be held in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes is slated for October 8.
[With agency inputs]
First Published: Sep 12 2024 | 11:54 AM IST
