Outlook spoke with Ajay Sadhotra, the National Conference candidate for Jammu North one of the 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Previously, he served as the General Secretary of the Youth National Conference and as Vice-President of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference in the Jammu division. Sadhotra was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Marh in 1996 and 2002. From 1996 to 2002 he served as a minister in various departments, including Agriculture and Rural Development.
This year, he is running against BJP’s Sham Lal Sharma and expressed confidence about his candidacy and stated “that the people of Jammu and Kashmir especially in Jammu are ready for change", mentioning a "mood of change" among voters. Sadhotra believes this shift will lead to support for the INDIA Alliance candidates and that the people of this assembly will move away from the BJP after ten years in power.
Reporter: Ashwani Sharma
Camera: Suresh Pandey and Vikram Sharma
Editor: Sudhanshu
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This year, he is running against BJP’s Sham Lal Sharma and expressed confidence about his candidacy and stated “that the people of Jammu and Kashmir especially in Jammu are ready for change", mentioning a "mood of change" among voters. Sadhotra believes this shift will lead to support for the INDIA Alliance candidates and that the people of this assembly will move away from the BJP after ten years in power.
Reporter: Ashwani Sharma
Camera: Suresh Pandey and Vikram Sharma
Editor: Sudhanshu
Follow us:
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
#NationalConference #AjaySadhotra #KashmirElections #Article370 #KashmirPolitics #JammuKashmirElections #JammuKashmirElections2024 #AssemblyElections2024
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NewsTranscript
00:00Sir, elections have been held in two phases. The third phase is on 1st October.
00:05What kind of atmosphere is there in Jammu and Kashmir at the moment?
00:09Elections are being held in Jammu and Kashmir after 10 years.
00:12And people know that the BJP has deprived people of their democratic rights.
00:18The elections that are being held today are not because of the BJP.
00:22The BJP did not listen to the constitution.
00:25These elections are being held in the direction of the Supreme Court.
00:29You can imagine that the country whose democracy is considered the largest democracy in the world,
00:36in that world's largest democracy, Jammu and Kashmir is deprived of their legal constitutional right
00:45to cast their vote and elect their own government.
00:48So people are angry about why we were kept without our government for 10 years.
00:58So what has changed in these 10 years? What are people feeling?
01:03And what are these elections bringing for us?
01:06In these 10 years, people are totally away from the government.
01:13There is such a gap that it will take time to fill the government that will come tomorrow.
01:19And if you look at the sector, it is totally isolated.
01:26Totally deserted.
01:28No one will go because people know that there are no elections there.
01:32Every person goes to the political government.
01:35And our party, National Congress, we believe in National Congress.
01:40We believe in democracy.
01:42But we gave the right of vote in Jammu and Kashmir.
01:47And the right of vote that we gave in Jammu and Kashmir,
01:50showed that there is no such thing as democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.
01:55And the people who think that this government will come,
01:59then doors will open for us.
02:01And let me tell you that when National Congress won 4 seats in 1996,
02:07Jammu district itself, Vijaypur, Madh, Akhnoor and Nagrota.
02:16And our leadership, Dr. Farooq Abdullah Sahib was the chief minister.
02:20He gave ministership to 8 people.
02:25Those 4 were not even MLAs.
02:28He gave it to them also to ensure that people get maximum reach to the government.
02:39And the 4 ministers who were made in that,
02:43one was Mr. Bholrai Wali, one was Mr. Harwant Singh, one was Mr. Rampal,
02:49and one was Sardar Har Sajid Singh Wali.
02:55So, when the government comes,
02:58then doors open for people.
03:01People can tell their grievances.
03:03And the ministers who listen to it,
03:06they understand it.
03:08They are accountable.
03:09Tomorrow we have to go to them.
03:11So, people realize that our issues are completely closed.
03:16And there is no door left for us to tell them.
03:19What kind of feeling is there in Jammu?
03:22Jammu always says that all the dominance is towards Kashmir.
03:26Funds go to Kashmir. Jobs go to Kashmir.
03:29What kind of atmosphere is there in Jammu after the elections?
03:32For the last 10 years, there has been a double-engine government here.
03:37And for the last 10 years, when the BJP got a huge mandate,
03:43people of Jammu think that we have been betrayed by the BJP.
03:50In spite of the fact, we have given this huge mandate.
03:54So, even after such a big mandate,
03:58people's aspirations could not be satisfied.
04:02Rather, totally ignored the people.
04:05And that is why people are worried.
04:08Unemployment.
04:10And I think that the unemployment rate in India
04:14will be the highest in Jammu and Kashmir.
04:16And people are being pushed towards war
04:21and they are going for this drug abuse.
04:25They are educated people.
04:31So, people are going towards drug abuse.
04:36It troubles the parents of the child.
04:38And along with this, people think that
04:41this BJP has employed children and pushed them towards drugs.
04:46And along with that, some children died.
04:49So, there is a lot of anger among the people.
04:51In Bengali, it is a matter of goods.
04:54There was a cylinder of Rs. 400 here.
04:56Today it is Rs. 1200.
04:57People are very worried.
04:59And the farmers are worried.
05:01The farmers say that they will double their income in 2022.
05:06So, you will see that their income did not double in 2022.
05:10Rather, the expenses doubled.
05:12Sir, is statehood also an issue of the election?
05:15Especially in Jammu and Kashmir.
05:18There is a demand for statehood in Jammu and Kashmir.
05:22There is no doubt about it.
05:24And we also want to get some statehood.
05:27Which was prior to 2019.
05:31So that people can work.
05:35We don't have to go to LG for everything.
05:39And people's problems can be reduced.
05:42And we hope that the BJP
05:44The BJP wants to take Jammu for granted.
05:47And especially in Jammu,
05:49where there was an abrogation of Rs. 370.
05:52Where there were 35 people.
05:55This has affected the people of Jammu more.
05:58In Kashmir, people are still afraid to go.
06:01So, you will see that
06:03Since the abrogation of Rs. 370 in Jammu,
06:08At that time, there was a lot of happiness.
06:10At that time, drums will be played.
06:12Sweets will be made.
06:13But after that, after 3.5 years,
06:15When the Supreme Court decided to abrogate,
06:19There was no such happiness.
06:22Rather, there was disappointment.
06:24That our children will have a job.
06:26People will come and take our land as a domicile.
06:30And your children's employment is also related to this.
06:35So, this is also a discussion here.
06:37Tomorrow, the police will come from Madras.
06:39Tomorrow, the inspector will come from Bangalore.
06:42Tomorrow, someone from Patwari will come from Bengal.
06:46So, the children here will not be able to come.
06:48Moreover, the scams that took place in terms of employment.
06:54The biggest scam here was of the sub-inspector recruitment.
06:58There were many sub-inspector recruitments in our time.
07:01I have been a minister for 10 years.
07:04I have been a legislator for 18 years.
07:06I have also seen many recruitments.
07:08There was never a scam.
07:10At this level, no one had the courage.
07:13And I believe that whatever the scam is,
07:16We blame the officers.
07:18I believe that somewhere there is a crime.
07:21Otherwise, no one has the courage to do this.
07:24So, that is also the anger among people.
07:26A child reads and writes.
07:27He goes to take the exam.
07:29When he goes there, he comes home happy.
07:31I have done everything.
07:32When he returns home, he finds out that
07:35In the morning, in the newspaper, the paper was leaked.
07:38There was a scam.
07:39The posts of the sub-inspector were leaked.
07:42The investigating agency gave an interview.
07:44That up to 30 to 40 lakhs have been bribed.
07:50You can guess how angry and angry people will be.
07:55Sir, Darbar Move was the backbone of Jammu's economy.
08:00Now, as you said, if you go to Dhruvnath Bazar, it is empty.
08:04So, is there a demand for Darbar Move to be restored?
08:09There is a lot of demand for the business class.
08:12The business class of Jammu.
08:14Even the business class of Kashmir wants it.
08:17There is also a demand from the common people.
08:20With this, there was a little interaction and brotherhood.
08:24There was no distance between Jammu and Kashmir.
08:27There was no room for hatred.
08:30This has affected the economy.
08:33Along with this, the regional interaction between us,
08:38where we had to sit and get up, has also ended.
08:41Sir, the BJP is accusing the religious shrines to change their names.
08:48Are they preparing to change their names
08:50if the government of the National Conference and Congress Alliance comes to power?
08:54The BJP has always held a Jalsa here.
08:59Here in Manhas ground in Florida.
09:03And there was no availability to say that we have given so many jobs.
09:09We have removed the cost.
09:11We have done this for the farmers, for the youth, for the students.
09:15Nothing.
09:16As if nothing has been done on the ground.
09:19And then what is the availability?
09:22We have removed 370 and 35.
09:26It is stuck in people's necks.
09:29What have they done?
09:31This is our party manifesto.
09:34This is page 21.
09:38And it is written on it.
09:40Comprehensive Expansion of Synagogue Jammu & Kashmir Cities.
09:44It is written in point 6.
09:47We will assess the feasibility of connecting
09:50Takht-e-Sulayman, Shankaracharya with Koh-e-Moran, Hari Parbat Fort
09:56through a gondola system.
09:58Enhancing connectivity and promoting tourism in the area.
10:02If the word gondola or promoting tourism means a change of name,
10:09then their education is also in danger.
10:12And I don't understand that they want to become Hindu-Muslims by lying.
10:18They want to become Hindu-Muslims even in the name change.
10:21Now there is a word of Urdu.
10:23There is a word of English.
10:25There is a word of Hindi.
10:27The pronunciation is different for everything.
10:29People of Jammu and Kashmir have understood that they take everything
10:32towards religion.
10:33Hinduism is in danger.
10:34The country is in danger.
10:36I want to tell you one more thing.
10:38My country is very great.
10:40My country is not in danger.
10:42My Hindu religion is also very deep-rooted.
10:45There is no danger to that either.
10:47If there is any danger, then it is the chair of the BJP.
10:50They are exploiting their religion and country for the sake of this chair.
10:56Last question.
10:58What kind of result is going to come the day your EVM opens?
11:05Two stages of elections have been held.
11:08The final stage will be held on 1st October.
11:11People in Jammu and Kashmir are in a mood for change.
11:17A mood of change.
11:19I think that change of mood will be translated in Jammu on 1st October.
11:26People will definitely vote for the candidates of the Indian Alliance.
11:35The BJP will try to go beyond their limits.
11:41They have been exploiting people for 10 years.
11:46I am sure that the result will be in favour of the Indian Alliance.
11:52Tomorrow, by the grace of God and the blessings of the people,
11:56the government will be made of the Indian Alliance.