NAVVNEET DUBEY
JAMMU: To up its ante against the ruling National Conference government in Jammu and Kashmir, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to launch an extensive 14-day public outreach programme across the Union Territory coinciding with commencement of the Autumn session of Jammu Kashmir Assembly from September 21. The party will hold door-to-door interaction in all administrative districts from September 7 to 20 to directly connect with people, listen to their grievances and build a chargesheet against the NC-led government ahead of the upcoming Assembly session.
The outreach comes days after J&K BJP unit held ‘Secretariat Gherao’ to protest against the National Conference government over recruitment and power tariffs. BJP workers, led by the party’s J&K President Sat Sharma and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma, assembled at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk and marched towards the civil secretariat.
The session is expected to witness heated debates on a range of issues, including unemployment, reservation, development, power shortages, governance, public welfare, law and order, and the demand for restoration of statehood. Several important government bills and policy matters are also likely to come up for discussion.
The decision for the outreach was taken at a meeting of BJP MLAs held at party headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu. The meeting was addressed by J&K BJP President and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, Lok Sabha MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, Deputy LoP Surjit Singh Slathia, and General Secretaries Sanjita Dogra and Gopal Mahajan.
It was decided that BJP MLAs led by LoP Sunil Sharma will undertake a door-to-door tour of all administrative districts of J&K from September 7 to 20 to listen to the problems and aspirations of people.
The tour will commence from Poonch district on September 7.Sat Sharma said initiative reflects BJP’s commitment to remain connected with people and act as their voice inside and outside Assembly. He alleged the NC government has failed to live up to expectations and not honoured promises made during elections.”BJP MLAs will reach every district, listen to people and relentlessly raise genuine issues in forthcoming Assembly sessions,” he said.
LoP Sunil Sharma said BJP will transform its role as responsible opposition into a powerful instrument for public accountability. “We will not sit in offices and make assumptions. We will go to every doorstep, hear people and expose the failures of the NC government on ground,” he said.
Jugal Kishore Sharma said people had placed faith in democratic governance and development, but the NC government has disappointed them. BJP MLAs will stand with people and ensure their voices reach the highest forums, he said.
The September session will be the sixth session of the J&K Legislative Assembly after the UT government was elected in October 2024. The first session of the House was held in Srinagar in November 2024 for four days. The latest session will be held before the government shifts to Jammu for the biannual Darbar Move, in which the Civil Secretariat functions from Jammu for six months, from November to April.
