Srinagar
Reacting sharply to the government decision to appoint 500 persons from non-migrant pandit families, All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) today charged the centre and the state government for what it called “changing the nomenclature” of the package to benefit a particular community.
“The people at helm of affairs changed the nomenclature of the package and ensured that no benefits whatsoever are given to the sikh community which is in the minority in Jammu and Kashmir”, APSCC chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said in a hard hitting statement here.
He said it was after a strenuous efforts the government in 2012 formulated a package for the Kashmiri minorities that did not migrate from the valley. However, the benefits of this package never trickled down to the Sikh community.
The state government on November 13 issued an order announcing 500 posts for the Kashmiri pandits who have not migrated from the valley. There are 808 hindu families comprising 3500 persons in the valley. It said one job will be provided for one family.
Raina said that in the past the Government of India “ditched” the majority community in the state and denied the youth the jobs in the government sectors. “ The benefits which should have been given to the members of majority community were showered on the members of a particular community.
“For more than four decades majority community was debarred from getting benefits and privileges that were due to them”, Raina said and blamed the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal. Nehru for the same.
“All this was done to please a particular community. The members of this particular community have been given packages and privileges by the different states in the country, but still they ask for more benefits,” the APSCC Chairman said.
