Jairam Ramesh - NEWS Of KASHMIR

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his visit to Japan and upcoming visit to China, stating that the PM had washed his hands off the violence-hit northeastern state Manipur.

In a post on social media X, Ramesh stated that while the PM kept travelling to countries, the long- suffering people of Manipur still awaited his visit to heal their wounds, to which the PM had simply and stubbornly refused.

Further in his post, the Congress leader also stated that India was being forced to “normalize” it’s relations with China, largely on their own terms.

“The Frequently Flying (and more frequently lying) Prime Minister is off to Japan and China. His visit to China is a moment of some reckoning for India. We are being forced to normalise relations with China — largely on their terms, with China trying to take advantage of the downturn in Indo-US ties as well.

China’s jugalbandi with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor – revealed by our own military establishment itself – has been forgotten. The extraordinarily bizarre statement of the Prime Minister of June 19, 2020, when he proclaimed that “Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai” greatly hurt our negotiating strength. It left us with little room to manoeuvre and this visit, despite the failure to restore the pre-April 2020 status quo, is the inevitable result of that notorious and cowardly clean chit,” the post read.

“Even as the PM jets off abroad, the long-suffering people of Manipur are still awaiting his visit there to heal the wounds of May 2023. But the PM simply and stubbornly refuses to engage with the state, its political parties and leaders, civil society organisations, and the people themselves. He has simply washed his hands off Manipur – which stands as a tragic testimony to the blundering of the Union Home Minister,” the post further read.

PM Modi is currently on his visit to Japan where he was welcomed by the Indian diaspora in Tokyo today. This marks PM Modi’s first standalone visit to the country in nearly seven years, aimed at deepening bilateral ties and advancing the Special Strategic and Global Partnership with Japan.

Post his visit to Japan, the PM will travel to China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. he will hold bilateral meetings with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Puting on the sidelines of the SCO. (ANI)

The Congress on Saturday accused the BJP of presiding over an “unprecedented deterioration of security” in Jammu and claimed the Union Territory’s administration led by the lieutenant governor was showing “incompetence” in managing the situation.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and address the Vijay Sankalp Maharally today, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that there has been a sharp increase in narcotics smuggling under and a collapse of governance in Jammu and Kashmir.

Posting on the social media platform X, Jairam Ramesh wrote, “Why has the security situation in Jammu deteriorated? The BJP, despite its claims to be the monopolist of nationalism, has presided over an unprecedented deterioration of security in Jammu. Militancy in Jammu is making its presence felt after a gap of nearly 15 years. Around the start of 2024, the administration claimed that the number of active terrorists in J&K had come down to double digits–31–with four active terrorists in the Jammu region. Now, in a startling about turn, the officials say there are around 50 to 60 terrorists.”

He said that the increase in terrorist activity has had “terrible consequences” for the people.

“Around the same time that the non-biological PM was being sworn in, a terrorist attack in Reasi took the lives of nine innocent pilgrims. The LG administration has shown unprecedented incompetence in managing this security situation. Why has the BJP let security in Jammu go downhill so rapidly?” he added.

Terrorists had opened fire at a bus carrying pilgrims from Shiv Khori to Katra on the evening of June 9 this year in the Pouni area of Reasi, causing the bus to fall into a nearby gorge, killing nine people, including a child.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday launched searches at various places across two districts of Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) as part of its investigation into Reasi pilgrims terror attack case.

Questioning the durbar move, Ramesh asked, “What vendetta does the BJP have against the people of Jammu? One of the BJP’s flagship initiatives has been to scrap the Durbar move, the annual shift of the J&K State Government from Srinagar to Jammu in the winters. The Durbar move has historically been a tremendous stimulus for Jammu’s economy, with businessmen in Jammu’s famed Raghunath Bazaar and Apsara Road waiting for winters and the bulk orders that would come in from Valley-based customers.”

The 149-year-old biannual tradition of shifting offices between summer capital Srinagar and winter capital Jammu was ended by the Jammu and Kashmir administration in 2021. The administration had said that it has completely transitioned to an e-office where “darbar move” was no longer needed and the decision will save Rs 200 crore per year.

He further claimed that the reason for an upsurge in terrorist activities in the region is because of the smuggling of narcotics in the region, with the international border in Jammu being a primary area of operations for smugglers.

“One fundamental reason for the upsurge in terrorist activity, particularly in Jammu, is the sharp rise in narcotics smuggling over the last few years – with the International Border in Jammu, rather than the LoC in Kashmir, being the primary area of operation for the smugglers. Narcotics consumption has seen a 30 per cent hike in five years, and the smuggling rings have become very sophisticated,” Ramesh said.

He also alleged that J&K has become a “transit destination” for drugs, which further routes the narcotics to other states.

Moreover, he said that theft and violent crime in the region are rampant as the policing has deteriorated.

“Without statehood and a functioning system of political representation, governance across Jammu and Kashmir has collapsed. Policing has deteriorated, and there has been a steep rise in criminal activity in Jammu. Theft and violent crime are now rampant. Corruption has reached unprecedented levels, with outsiders belonging to the RSS cabal monopolising all government contracts and seeing astronomical increases in their wealth,” he said.

Claiming that the administration has zero interest in development, taking examples of IT parks in neighbouring state governments, he said that no such development has taken place.

“Employment opportunities have dwindled, with aspirational youth being forced to leave Jammu for employment – even as the administration has zero interest in development. Neighbouring state governments have established IT parks in Mohali and Chandigarh, but Jammu has seen no investment of that kind. Finally, even basic administrative tasks like electricity bills are seeing massive mismanagement,” he added. (ANI)

Jairam Ramesh Slams PM Modi Over Foreign Visits, Says Manipur Still Awaits His Healing Presence

Why has security situation in Jammu deteriorated? Jairam Ramesh