Create congenial atmosphere to hold election in J&K, Congress to centre
New Delhi, June 20: A day after BJP ended its alliance with PDP in Jammu and Kashmir and the state came under Governor's rule, Congress on Wednesday accused both parties of "betraying" the people's aspirations in the lust of power and demanded the Central government ensure a "congenial atmosphere" for conduct of fresh elections.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said: "At the moment there is Governor's rule. By when will the centre and Governor create an atmosphere and ensure that the security scenario will change and law and order is maintained so that we can have elections.
"We don't want to have elections like we had during (Srinagar) Lok Sabha bypoll, where the poll percentage was 7 per cent."
"We would definitely like to have a government representing the people of the state. The Governor and the government of India must create a congenial atmosphere for the elections," he said to a query about early elections in the state.
Azad also saod the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has betraying the people of Jammu and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) of betraying the people of Kashmir by "forging an unethical alliance" in the state while the BJP central leadership has "betrayed the people of the country".
Also accusing the BJP of setting the state on "a fire of anarchy and radicalization" in its three years coalition rule with PDP, the Congress sought to know from the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to what plans they had for bringing normalcy and peace back to the state.
"The BJP, in its pursuit of power and political opportunism, in the past three years, disrupted the ongoing constructive engagement with the people of the state and has imperiled the security situation, setting the state of Jammu and Kashmir on a fire of anarchy, radicalization, malgovernance and corruption," Azad and party colleague Ambika Soni said in a statement after a meeting of party's core group on Jammu and Kashmir held at the behest of party President Rahul Gandhi.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, P. Chidambaram and Karan Singh also attended the meeting.
The Congress said that both BJP and PDP share "equal blame" for undoing all the progress towards normalcy achieved during the United Progressive Alliance government.
Slamming the Modi government's "directionless, agenda-less and clueless policy", the Congress asked: "How does Prime Minister Modi propose to ensure peace and normalcy in the state?"
It also sought to know the economic roadmap for inclusion and progress for the state's people, proposals to prevent the radicalization of youth as well how the Modi government proposes to engage with various sections of the state "in order to win their hearts and minds".
"We caution the Modi government to correct its flawed approach and work for rebuilding the trust and restoration of normalcy in the state," it said.
Noting BJP leaders and ministers have been citing national interest as a reason for breaking the alliance, Azad said he thanked them for "accepting this that they were working against national interest in the last three years".
Congress' state chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir said: "It was expected from the day the alliance was formed that it would break. People of the state did not accept this alliance. Both the parties PDP and BJP betrayed their own voters by this alliance. Hence, it led to political alienation which it was increasing.
"As an opposition, we supported their Agenda of Alliance. But it was also a false promise. Modi's promise of Rs 80,000 crore to the state was not a 'package' but it was 'packaging'. The alliance was broken keeping 2019 election in mind."
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Ayush signs off with silver at Badminton Asia Championships
Ningbo (China) (PTI): India's Ayush Shetty signed off with a silver medal after his giant-killing run ended in a straight-game loss to world No. 2 Shi Yu Qi in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships here on Sunday.
The 20-year-old from Mangalore struggled to find his rhythm, going down 8-21, 10-21 to the reigning world champion from China, as India's 61-year wait for a men's singles gold at the event continued.
Despite the loss, it was a creditable campaign from the unseeded youngster, who became only the second Indian men's singles player after Dinesh Khanna to reach the final of the continental showpiece.
Khanna remains the only Indian singles champion at the event, having won the title in 1965. Since then, only the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have lifted the trophy, winning it in 2023.
World No. 25 Ayush entered the contest on the back of defeats to Shi at the Malaysia Super 1000 earlier this year and the Indonesia Masters last season. However, he had played with far greater control and attacking clarity this week, toppling world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, world No. 4 Jonatan Christie and world No. 7 Li Shi Feng en route to the final.
However, the Indian, a product of the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, failed to counter the tactical discipline of Shi, who used his repertoire of strokes and deception to deny Ayush the opportunity to play his natural attacking game.
Shi dictated the geometry of the court from the outset, controlling the net exchanges and forcing Ayush into the forecourt battle early. The variation in the Chinese player’s game blunted the Indian’s attack, as his smashes lacked precision and he succumbed to scoreboard pressure, leading to rushed shot-making.
Shi Yu Qi logged the opening points with two fine net dribbles to race to a 4-0 lead, as Ayush’s smashes lacked precision early on and he trailed 2-6. A long rally ended with the Chinese player going wide, offering the Indian some respite. A deceptive net shot helped Shi move to 7-4, and he extended the lead to 11-6 as Ayush struggled for control, committing a string of unforced errors.
Shi mixed it up effectively, producing a lovely drop shot and repeatedly drawing the Indian to the forecourt with cross returns like a metronome, forcing errors. Two down-the-line smashes gave Shi a massive cushion of game points, and he sealed the opening game when Ayush sprayed a return wide.
The Indian needed a complete reset to stay alive, and he responded with a thunderous straight smash before diving on both flanks to keep the shuttle in play and move to 3-1 in the second game. Shi continued to test Ayush with backhand deceptive net strokes and pushes to the deep, but the Indian managed to retrieve everything and even found his precision in time, with an on-the-line smash confirmed by Hawk-Eye and a well-constructed rally taking him to 7-2.
However, he couldn't hold on to the momentum as the Chinese clawed back to 7-7 after two long shots and a smash into the net from Ayush. A return that kissed the backline from Shi, followed by another error from Ayush at the net and a return into the net, handed the Chinese the advantage once again at the interval, as he led 11-8.
Shi’s ability to place the shuttle into empty spaces with his repertoire of strokes, often punctuated by a fierce smash, made life difficult for the Indian as he stretched the lead to 13-8. Soon, the Chinese was up 15-9 with another powerful smash.
A body return followed by a straight smash took him to 17-9, and another long shot from Ayush further dented his chances. A perfectly angled smash into the forehand corner brought Shi within two points of victory. He then unleashed a cross-court smash to earn 10 match points and sealed the contest with a return that cramped the Indian, targeting his hip.
