Amid the ongoing encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, the opposition Congress has intensified its attacks on the BJP-led government at the Centre for its failure to prevent repeated terror attacks in Jammu province, which was previously declared "free from terrorism."
As four Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel attained martyrdom in the ongoing encounter in the Billawar area of Kathua district, the Congress seized the opportunity to challenge the BJP's claims of restoring normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories.
Former Minister and working president of J&K Congress, Raman Bhalla, launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led government, asserting that the repeated terror attacks in Jammu province have completely negated the BJP's claims of restoring peace.
Bhalla criticized the BJP's repeated assertions of having established normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that the rise in terrorism in the otherwise peaceful Jammu region is a direct consequence of the BJP's failures.
He accused the BJP of not only failing to fulfill its promises but also of "gifting terrorism" to Jammu province—a region he claimed has been pushed into chaos under the BJP's rule.
Bhalla seized the opportunity to highlight what he termed the BJP's "monumental failure", pointing to the recent wave of violence as proof that the party's claims of peace and stability were mere political rhetoric.
"The BJP has been trumpeting its so-called success in bringing normalcy to Jammu and Kashmir, but the reality is laid bare by the sound of gunfire and the blood of our brave policemen," Bhalla declared, his voice filled with indignation as he addressed the crowd.
A key focus of Bhalla's speech was the alarming rise in terrorism in Jammu province, an area that had historically remained relatively insulated from the violence plaguing the Kashmir Valley.
He cited ongoing encounters in the Kathua and Reasi districts as glaring examples of the BJP's inability to safeguard the region. In Kathua, security forces have been engaged in intense operations at two separate locations, while in Reasi, another encounter has further deepened public anxiety.
The human cost of these clashes was a major part of Bhalla's address as he mourned the martyrdom of four Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty.
"These brave souls laid down their lives because the BJP has failed to protect Jammu from the scourge of terrorism," he said, his tone heavy with sorrow and determination. "Their sacrifice is a grim reminder of the price we are paying for the BJP's hollow promises."
The former minister did not hold back, asserting that the resurgence of terrorism in Jammu is the "only noticeable achievement" of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He argued that far from ushering in an era of peace and prosperity, the BJP's policies had instead sown the seeds of instability in a region that was once considered a bastion of calm.
"Jammu was a peaceful land, a place where people lived without the shadow of terror," he remarked. "But under BJP's rule, it has been dragged into the same vortex of violence that we had hoped to leave behind. This is not progress—it is a betrayal."
