Avtar Bhat
REASI, Aug 5: Making a scathing attack on Congress, Union Minister of State in PMO with Independent charge of North Eastern States, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that its leaders are opposing equal rights to women to appease separatists. He also took a dig at those members of Maharaja’s family who himself connived with Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru and are now blaming BJP of forgetting the former rulers of the State.
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Addressing a function here in connection with celebration of birthday of Maharaja Partap Singh, former ruler of the State, organized by Gen. Zorawar Singh Committee, Reasi, Dr Jitendra Singh without naming Article 35 A, said that the Congress does not want the women marrying outside the State should have the right on their ancestral property to appease separatists.
“This is totally unfortunate on the part of the party”, he said, adding that Congress leaders were speaking language of National Conference and the NC was speaking the language of separatist Hurriyat Conference.
Dr Jitendra Singh, while criticizing the role of Congress on Triple Talaq said that they made Muslims fight with their own community members, Hindus with Dalits for their vested political interests and now they are trying men to fight with women by opposing Triple Talaq despite the fact that Muslim women have widely welcomed the Narendra Modi Government step in this regard.
“We stand for equal rights to women irrespective of their religion and caste, he said, adding Modi Government took a great and bold step to do away with Triple Talaq and Muslim women supported the same but Congress is opposing it”.
Without referring to Article 35A, Dr Jitendra Singh said that girls married outside demand property rights and their brothers oppose the same referring to the law. The Congress is also opposing the grant of the property rights to women because separatists, extremists and militants will get annoyed and they will lose their vote, he regretted.
He said the issue is not of the vote politics but of nation’s unity and integrity and irrespective which party will rule there should be no two thoughts when the national integrity and unity will be at stake.
He said during 1985 Assam Accord, late Prime Minster, Rajiv Gandhi took decision for maintaining National Register for Citizens (NRC) and his mother Late Indira Gandhi also the then Prime Minister had said during the Bangladesh war in 1971 that no foreign (Bangladeshis) will be settled in India and present leadership of Congress is working in defiance of the same.
While paying rich tributes to Dogra rulers, Dr Jitendra Singh termed them great visionaries. He said they not only expanded boundaries of the State to Tibet but established educational institutions, hospitals, framed laws and rules to run the State. He said the mission started by the Dogra rulers like Mahraja Ranbir Singh and Maharaja Partap Singh in establishing institutions was completed by the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh whom the people of Jammu held in high esteem.
He said that people who oft repeated talk about Maharajas even do not know fully about their life history. “The reputation of Dogra rulers and their dynasty was damaged by none else than the members of its own family”, he added.
He said for the honour of Dogra rulers and nationalist people of the State, former Jana Sangh president, Shayama Prasad Mookerjee laid down his life but the members of the family sat in the lap of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru to become the Sadar-e-Riyasat and later Minister.
Dr Jitendra Singh said it needs courage of conviction to take a bold stand like Dr Mookerjee took. “Today they say why BJP did not keep the name of Airport on Maharaja’s name forgetting that the former Civil Aviation Minister in Indira Gandhi Government was from Maharaja’s dynasty and later another Civil Aviation Minister from the State also belonged to Congress party. It is ridiculous that they are pointing fingers on the BJP today without explaining why they failed to name the Jammu Airport on the name of Maharaja during their Government.
Likewise they could not keep the Prince of Wales College, Jammu the first ever college in the region established by Maharaja Partap Singh and then developed by Maharaja Hari Singh on their (Maharajas) name and instead named it Government Gandhi Memorial College. It is unfortunate that they are now blaming BJP for their own sins, he added.
He said the members of Maharaja’s dynasty enjoyed power with Congress and NC and now blame BJP that it forgot their ancestors.
While talking about the development of Reasi, he said that BJP MLA Ajay Nanda gave the account of the developmental works started in the Constituency and asked what the previous rulers have done in last 70 years for the development of the area.
He said even there were no post offices and KVs in the villages to which the former Ministers and MPs belonged to and this work was also done by Narendra Modi Government.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that he and other leaders of the Party visited far off villages in Reasi, Doda and Kishtwar districts where the precedence was made by Congress and other parties to bring the people in vehicles on the day of voting to cast vote and later ignored them.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that time has completely changed as a man who worked on railway platform became Prime Minster of this nation and this has created a confidence in a common man that he too can reach to the PM’s chair some day.
He also took a dig at Congress for opposing the BJP and Prime Minister for taking credit of inaugurating Railway Station Katra and said that they were afraid in case the foundation was laid during the election period the Party leadership had to mingle with the people wearing saffron turbans during inauguration ceremony which will put secularism in danger. In comparison to that Modi Government is working with commitment and dedication so it did not lose the opportunity to inaugurate the Railway Station, he added.
He announced that the survey of Katra -Delhi National Corridor via Amritsar has been started and this Corridor after construction will reduce the distance to five hours from Katra to Delhi.
He also announced that sound light programme will be held at Reasi Fort on the life of Maharaja Partap Singh whose birth place was Reasi. He said out of MP LAD fund Rs two crore were provided for Reasi and more funds will also be provided for the development of the area as Modi Government is committed to development of the nation and welfare of its people.
He also assured to take up other problems of the people with the State Government and issued on spot directives to Additional DC Reasi, Ramesh Kumar to take steps in resolving the burning issues.
Recalling the services of Maharaja Partap Singh former Minster and MLA Reasi , Ajay Nanda said that the Mahraja was a visionary, a great personality who constructed Jehlum Valley Highway, Banihal Cart Road, Srinagar Gilgit Leh road and colleges and hospitals in the State.
While highlighting the steps taken by the Union Government and public representatives for the district, Nanda said over 100 Central sponsored schemes were brought to Reasi and it is the first district which was declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).
He said Reasi Fort was ignored earlier but its development has taken place during Vajpayee Government. “The work on Grid Station was abandoned and we restored it.”
Others who spoke include Mahant Rameshwar Dass of Purani Mandi, Jammu, Ashok Singh of Gen Zorawar Singh Committee, Pawan Dev Singh, Daljeet Singh its general secretary while president of the Committee Capt (retd) Mahesh Singh presented vote of thanks.
NPP president and former MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia was also on the dais on the occasion.
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