Jammu people be ready for 'decisive battle' over AIIMS: Cong

Extending its support to 72-hour-long bandh call from June 19 in Jammu, Congress today asked the people of the city to get ready for "decisive battle" over the demand of setting up of AIIMS in the region.
"We are fully extending our support to three-day-long Jammu bandh announced by the Coordination Committee on AIIMS. We appeal the people of Jammu to make it successful," state Congress's Senior Vice President Sham Lal Sharma said.
Congress will continue to back and support the coordination committee on AIIMS until the demand if fulfilled, Sharma told reporters here today.
"BJP and its central leadership announced AIIMS for Jammu but diverted it to Kashmir. We are not against AIIMS in Kashmir, but only against the denial of AIIMS to Jammu. We are fighting for that," he said.

"I challenge BJP that we will get AIIMS at all costs. They cannot fool people by issuing statements and satisfy them unless the formal announcement is not made," he said.
Hitting out at BJP for trying to sabotage the movement of the hospital, Congress leader said that no AIIMS was announced by the previous government headed by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and only upgradition of the Government Medical College at Jammu was declared.

"If anybody produces documents relating to announcement of AIIMS in Jammu by BJP government at that time, I will leave politics," Sharma claimed.
He alleged that 100-day-rule of BJP-PDP government had been a "disaster and ridden with controversies, issues and problems. Governance has been impacted by controversies one after other".

"BJP has during last several decades while in opposition harped the music of discrimination with Jammu. But when they came to power, we thought that it would end discrimination but instead worked totally anti-Jammu," Sharma said.
Battng for fulfledged 'Regional Council' for Jammu, the Congress said it is a remedy for all ills.