New Delhi, Mar 13: Member of Parliament from Baramulla Engineer Rashid addressing in the Parliament, raised concerns over termination of employees, the condition of Jammu and Kashmir’s fruit industry and various governance issues affecting the region, said a press release.
During his intervention, MP Er Rashid remarked that smaller parties and independent members often struggle to get speaking time in Parliament, alleging that the two major national parties dominate the proceedings. “There are 240 members of BJP, around 100 members of Congress and the rest are over 200 members, but these two parties have virtually held everyone hostage. It looks like a two-party system like America where others are not allowed to speak,” he said.
The Baramulla MP Er Rashid thanked the Union Finance Minister for responding to his written demands even while he was in jail. “I want to thank the Finance Minister Madam Nirmala Sitharaman. Even while I was in jail, I had written the demands of my people and she wrote back assuring that work would be done on them,” he said.
Taking a dig at the government over economic packages announced for Jammu and Kashmir after 2019, MP Er Rashid said the region had received “unique packages.” Referring to restrictions on social media, he remarked “Running social media costs money and time. In Kashmir if someone writes something on social media the police arrest him, so people have stopped using it. Our money is saved. This is also a package for us.”
Highlighting unemployment in the region, the MP said J&K has the highest unemployment rate in the country according to government data. He added sarcastically: “You have found a very good method to remove unemployment. Every month our LG Sahib is terminating employees. Like the slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’, this has become ‘Mulazim Hatao’.” Referring to the recent firing incident targeting Dr Farooq Abdullah in Jammu, he questioned the security situation in the region. “You say everything is peaceful in Kashmir. Yesterday in broad daylight shots were fired at Dr Farooq Abdullah Sahib. Thank God he survived. If a leader like him is not safe, where does the safety of an ordinary citizen stand?” he asked.
