KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
A day after Bharatiya Janata Party Minister Abdul Gani Kohli blamed his party colleague and Forest Minister Bali Bhagat for “harassment” of Muslim tribes in Jammu, Bali Bhagat Wednesday while advising Kohli to keep mum over the issue said that his colleague lacks discipline who doesn’t know how to react over an issue.
“In fact, Kohli is my party colleague but he lacks discipline. He has really no discipline. Kohli is a new born politician and it will take time for him to learn the art of politics,” Forest Minister Bali Baghat told CNS adding that as Forest Minister no one can stop him from driving Gujjars and Bakarwals away from the ‘encroached’ forest land.
BJP Transport Minister Abdul Gani Kohli had told a local Daily that he doesn’t know why eviction drive was started all of a sudden and he feels that the Minister (Bali Baghat) is doing it at his own level.
Forest Minister Bali Baghat said that he is hopeful that his colleague Abdul Gani Kohli will learn the art of politics in coming years.
When asked why eviction drive has been started against a particular community, the Minister said that he doesn’t bother who is who. “Whosoever has encroached forest land will face the music and will be driven away. The eviction drive will continue. I am not targeting Muslims, but if any Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Dogra or Rajput has encroached the forest land too, he will also be driven away,” he said.
He refuted the allegations that Muslim officers have been replaced by Hindu officers.
Pertinently, the “anti-encroachment” drive and reported demolition of Kothas in some Muslim- dominated areas of Jammu including Kalakote, Shidhra, Bathandi started following an order by General Administration Department last month.
