Congress PC Feed 2c Attached here National president Indian youth congress Uday banu chib...press conference at party headquarters Congress office Srinagar When the situation in Jammu and Kashmir improves and people can afford it, then you should definitely introduce this, but right now, when not everyone can afford it, you are bringing in prepaid meters. This means that those who cannot afford it will be left without electricity, and the government, which claims to be a government of the people, is allowing this. This is not right, we feel. Along with this, there is another fight that we waged before the elections: that Jammu and Kashmir should be granted statehood, and our special rights, our land, should remain protected, and all government jobs should be reserved for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. We feel that the Jammu and Kashmir government is not very proactive in fighting this battle either. At the same time, I thank the Congress leadership of Jammu and Kashmir they are constantly and continuously fighting for statehood and for the special rights regarding jobs and land. So, our appeal to the Chief Minister, Mr. Abdullah, is that these smart meters, these prepaid smart meters, should be withdrawn, as we promised the people before the elections. And also, the fight for statehood and jobs for the youth should be continued. Otherwise, the basic and primary job of the Youth Congress is to fight for the voice of the youth, so we will stand against the BJP government and the Jammu and Kashmir government on these issues if necessary. Sir, regarding my question about the youth, specifically about the jobs that have been confirmed for the youth, and that too for locals, what is your reaction to that? On one hand, you are saying it''s for the youth, but you have taken it in a positive way, haven''t you? Regarding jobs, our focus will remain local, and we will work with the industries. For the youth, I think this adjustment is necessary because when our statehood was dissolved and it became a union Territory, we know that many people are now working in other states or in government jobs, knowingly or unknowingly. The government should provide the exact figures, but we have concrete knowledge that many people from other states are in government jobs, even with our domicile process. When Jammu and Kashmir was a state, there was no such provision. This is not a right of today; it''s a right from 1926, and Maharaja Hari Singh granted this right in 1929 so that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would remain protected. We cannot compare Jammu and Kashmir to other states. We face challenges due to the climate, and we have Pakistan on one side and China on the other. Therefore, the people here need special rights, just like they had before, which the BJP took away from us. What would you like to say about statehood? Statehood is a major issue, and everyone is watching it. Do you think that given what has been said in Parliament, especially on the floor of the House, why is this issue being dragged on? But expectations are very high. Look, we have to be aggressive. We know how casual the BJP is. When the farmers'' protest happened, 700 to 800 farmers were martyred, and only then did they finally pay attention. If we ask them politely and gently, I don''t think anything will happen. That''s why we need to continuously and aggressively hammer this issue. Just as the Congress party''s state leadership always talks about our state, our state is ours, similarly, I think the J&K government and the CM should be repeatedly reminded that granting statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Do you believe we should take to the streets? We should definitely take to the streets repeatedly. If we don''t take to the streets, how will these people listen? They would agree if the farmers also accepted that if they hadn''t held protests, if they hadn''t shed their blood and sweat for their rights, they wouldn''t have achieved their goals and won their fight. Similarly, if our ancestors had believed that they shouldn''t take to the streets for the country''s independence, that they shouldn''t undertake marches like the Dandi March, then what would the British have left behind?