Rahul Gandhi Criticizes BJP as Jammu and Kashmir Votes in Second Phase of Elections
In the second phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir, a voter turnout of 46.12% was recorded by 3pm. Reasi led with 63.91%, while Srinagar had the lowest at 22.62%. Over 25 lakh voters are eligible to vote in this phase.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticized the BJP-led government for turning Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory, claiming it was an injustice and that the region is now governed by outsiders. He stated, “In the history of India, after 1947 several union territories were turned into states. States were divided – Telangana was formed out of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand was formed out of Bihar, Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. But for the first time after independence, a state was turned into a union territory. This was done to Jammu & Kashmir. This is an injustice to you. Your democratic rights have been snatched away from you. Today Jammu and Kashmir, is not run by the people of Jammu and Kashmir, it is run by the people of other states.”
Gandhi also criticized the BJP and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, saying, “Jammu is hub for Kashmir’s businesses, production and it connects Kashmir with the nation. BJP government and LG have tarnished this role. They have tarnished the backbones (small businesses) of Jammu, which results in unemployment. As long as small and medium businesses of Jammu will not stand on their own capacity, the unemployment rate will stand still. As long as LG is here, the outsiders will get benefits and the people of the Jammu and Kashmir will be side-lined and one of the reasons to snatch your statehood. They want to outsiders to run J-K and not people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The final phase of voting is on October 1, with results to be announced on October 8.
Doubts Revealed
Rahul Gandhi -: Rahul Gandhi is a politician in India. He is a member of the Congress party and is known for being the son of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is one of the major political parties in India.
Jammu and Kashmir -: Jammu and Kashmir is a region in northern India. It used to be a state but is now a Union Territory.
Second Phase of Elections -: Elections are held in phases to manage the large number of voters. The second phase means this is the second part of the voting process.
Voter Turnout -: Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who actually vote. For example, if 100 people can vote and 46 vote, the turnout is 46%.
Reasi -: Reasi is a district in Jammu and Kashmir. It had a high voter turnout in this election phase.
Srinagar -: Srinagar is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It had a low voter turnout in this election phase.
Union Territory -: A Union Territory is a region in India that is governed directly by the central government, not by its own state government.
Congress MP -: MP stands for Member of Parliament. A Congress MP is a person who is a member of the Indian Parliament from the Congress party.
October 1 -: October 1 is the date for the final phase of voting in this election.
October 8 -: October 8 is the date when the results of the election will be announced.
