BJP betrayed unemployed Jammu youth: Harsh Dev

NPP Chairman Harshdev Singh addressing press conference in Jammu.
NPP Chairman Harshdev Singh addressing press conference in Jammu.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 19: Re-iterating the demand of parity in Govt jobs between the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir, JKNPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh today accused the BJP Govt of having perpetuated the most hostile bias doled out to the educated unemployed youth of Jammu region over the years.
While addressing a press conference here today Singh said that Jammu had been the worst sufferer in the matter of public employment since the BJP came into power in 2014. While the BJP-PDP coalition rule witnessed the most hostile discrimination doled out to Jammu region in the matter of Govt jobs, the post Art- 370 abrogation era too provided the most glaring examples of bias against the youth of the region.
Reminiscing the unrest amongst the Jammu youth during PDP-BJP regime, Singh pointed out that regular protests, dharnas and demonstrations were held outside PSC, SSB and other recruitment agencies against the alleged regional bias with the then mandated leaders merely making vague statements in the media without taking any remedial action to rectify the imbalances.
Singh said that the situation worsened after state’s re-organization with Jammu region getting eclipsed and sidelined probably in view of BJP Govt’s ambitions to conquer the political landscape in Kashmir. During the past two years, the share of Jammu region in Govt jobs has declined to low levels with Kashmir continuing to get the focused attention. The select list issued by Fire Services Deptt had merely 70 candidates from Jammu region as against 620 from Kashmir.
He further disclosed that select list of Assistant Professors in clinical Pathology had all selected candidates from Kashmir region. The R&B Deptt had sought filling up of 76 posts of work supervisors all for Kashmir region with Jammu region having been completely ignored. The Fisheries Deptt had made 304 appointments from Kashmir region with hardly 40 appointments falling in the kitty of Jammu region. The Health Deptt, last year, ordered termination of around 1500 health professionals appointed under SRO-24 while allowing their Kashmir counterparts to continue in office.
By depriving the Jammu region youth of their due share in employment and appeasing Kashmir the BJP would only antagonize its core constituency without getting anything in the valley, Singh added.