JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Monday said he was proud to move a resolution seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in the first Assembly session of the Union Territory, calling it a reflection of the wish of the people who want safeguards for their land and jobs.
The resolution, which was passed in the Assembly on November 7 by a voice vote, seeks a dialogue between the Centre and the elected representatives of JK for the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state.
The BJP members protested the passing of the resolution by the National Conference government with repeated disruptions of the House during the five-day Assembly session.
“I am feeling proud for moving a resolution seeking restoration of special status which was moved by the Assembly recently. It was the wish of every individual who wanted protection of land and jobs.
“While the BJP leaders called me ‘Jaichand’, I want to ask the people of Jammu if they want this special status or not? They (BJP leaders) are misleading the people… We all know that this is the demand of the commoners, including the farmers, labourers and businessmen, irrespective of their religious identity,” Choudhary said while addressing a function at the National Conference headquarters.
He also claimed the resolution is meant to safeguard the future of the coming generations, adding that it is in accordance with the promise made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir of protecting their land and jobs.
“We have a dozen states in the country which enjoy special status… (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar wanted special status for his state, but the BJP MLAs enacted a drama (in the Bihar Assembly). We will expose them (BJP) as our resolution is in the interest of the people,” Choudhary said.
The deputy chief minister also accused the BJP leaders in JK of taking orders from “outside”, holding them directly responsible for “destroying” the region over the past 10 years.
“Instead of offering employment to the local youth, they (BJP) have provided land and big contracts to outsiders by ignoring the local industrialists. They boast of winning 29 seats in the Jammu region, but they should be thankful that the National Conference did not contest the elections on majority of the seats. Had we done, their fate would have been like their president (Ravinder Raina),” Choudhary, who defeated Raina from the Nowshera constituency, said.
He also said the NC will show BJP the real picture in the upcoming local bodies and panchayat elections.
The BJP downgraded the erstwhile state by bifurcating it into two UTs and then failed miserably to project any new tourist place, especially in the Jammu region, Choudhary claimed.
Referring to the passing of a resolution at the first meeting of the Omar Abdullah-led Cabinet shortly after the formation of the new government on October 16, the National Conference leader said the party will fulfil all its poll promises made to the people of JK.
“The government has already accepted people’s demand by reversing the examination schedule in the winter zone from March-April to November-December to benefit the students. We have also announced age relaxation for the JK Combined Competitive Examination (CCE), Choudhary said.
Continuing his tirade against the BJP, he claimed the security situation in JK is there for everyone to see, where not a single day passes without innocent people getting killed.
“We want our country to be strong with JK as one of its prosperous states. NC is the only party which has sacrificed thousands of its leaders and workers to make India strong,” he claimed, adding, “We will continue with our endeavour to strengthen the Constitution, safeguard the borders, and empower every individual.”
Claiming that a change in JK is visible ever since the formation of the NC government with people visiting the civil secretariat seeking redressal of their problems, Choudhary said, “The BJP rule created a wedge between the administration and the public. We have started working to bridge this gap. It will take some time.”
Alleging a scam in the public health engineering department, the NC leader urged people to have patience saying, “We are going to unveil everything.”
Speaking at the function, JK minister Satish Sharma accused the BJP of completely eroding the Dogra identity in the last five years by compromising the resources of Jammu and Kashmir.
“All of us need to unite to make JK prosperous. We want statehood and special status back to preserve land and jobs for the locals,” Sharma said.
“We have to become a bridge between the two divisions of Jammu and Kashmir and reject the vested interests trying to cash in on the ‘Jammu versus Kashmir’ ideology,” he added.
Sharma also called for a vigorous campaign against the menace of drugs, assuring that the government will not hesitate to take stern action against the culprits in its bid to save the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.
