Excelsior Correspondent
—Excelsior/Amin War
Srinagar, Oct 15: Accusing People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led coalition of betrayal and buying time, an apex body of Sikhs today announced its agitation programme against the State Government for non-fulfillment of its long-pending demands.
Addressing a news conference here, the chairman of All Parties Sikh Coordination Co-mmittee (APSCC) Kashmir, Jagm-ohan Raina, said that they had given 20-day long deadline to the Government to fulfill their demands but there has been no response or action.
Among the various other demands, the primary demand of the Sikh body is the extension of Minority Act in the State. The other demands include filling up of vacant posts of Punjabi teachers and lecturers in the schools and colleges of the State and starting the Punjabi department at the University of Kashmir.
Jagmohan Raina said that the present dispensation had failed the Sikhs of the region despite promises made to them during Assembly polls.
Raina said that the members of the Sikh community are “quite agitated over the apathy shown by the Government”.
“As part of our agitation programme, we will hold sit-in at Srinagar, Jammu and in all district headquarters of the State. The sit-ins would also be carried outside the residence of the legislators of the PDP who won the 2014 Assembly elections due to the votes’ polled by the Sikh community,” he announced. The Sikh leader however said that no “law and problem” would be created in already “disturbed State”.
Raina demanded an inquiry into the announcement of “some scheme” for the members of Kashmiri Pandit community by Ministry of Minority Affairs “despite the fact that this community does not fall within the ambit of minorities in India”. “It gives an impression that some secret agenda is being pursued by the Central Government while keeping the national policy at bay. We demand an enquiry in the matter so that the confusion on this issue is removed,” he said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel