NC has failed to deliver: Chugh
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 9: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Core Group which met here, today framed the list of probable candidates for Nagrota Assembly seat in Jammu region by-elections and Budgam Assembly seat in Kashmir valley, which will go to polls on November 11 along with five MLAsto be nominated to the Assembly by the Lt Governor on the advice of Union Home Ministry from Kashmiri migrants, women and PoJK refugees.
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According to party sources, four to five names each have figured for Nagrota Assembly as well as Budgam Assembly segments during the Core Group meeting. Besides, the names of probable candidates for five nominated MLAs of UT Assembly to be made by LG on the advice of Home Ministry were also framed to be submitted to the party High Command, sources added.
Sources said the nominated seats are unlikely to be filled soon. But on the insistence of UT leadership the party national president, J P Nadda asked the State Unit to furnish the panel for five nominated MLAs also which will be finalised by High Command at later stage.
Sources said for Nagrota by-elections Devyani Rana, daughter of former sitting MLA Devender Singh Rana and Nand Kishore Sharma, BJP district president Jammu Rural and brother of MP Jammu- Reasi Lok Sabha Jugal Kishore Sharma constituency are the front runners. However, some members also proposed the names of former Sarpanch, Anil Sharma and DDC Chairman, Bharat Bushan for the seat. But the main two contenders for the seat are Devyani Rana and Nand Kishore Sharma.
Sources said the party will submit the list to High Command and the final decision will be taken by the BJP Parliamentary Board in this regard.
Sources said that BJP will adopt a wait and watch policy to see whether NC is going to field a Shia or Sunni candidate from the Budgam Assembly segment and on the basis of same it will deicde its nominee. However, the names of three to four candidates have figured in the Core Group list today and prominent among them included senior party leader, Dr Ali, district president, Budgam Aga Syed Ruhullah and another party leader, Ashraf Azad.
Sources said for Kashmir migrants, the names of former MLCs, G L Raina and Surinder Ambardar besides party Incharge for Anantnag Ashok Bhat, ex corporator Dr Ashok, Sweety Koul, Sunita Raina, H L Bhat, Bharat Bhushan, Chand Ji and some other leaders figured in the list.
While for PoJK the name of BJP chief spokesperson, Sunil Sethi, senior party leader Pt. Ashok Khajuria, Deepak Kapoor, Danish Sharma and one female candidate also figured, the sources said.
For two women seats, the names of BJP general secretary, Sangita Dogra, party vice president, Rekha Mahajan, Anuradha Charak, Veena Khanna , Mahila Morcha president, Neha Mahajan etc figured.
The Core Group meeting was chaired by party national general secretary Incharge J&K and Ladakh UTs of BJP, Tarun Chugh and it was also attended by Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh, party J&K president , Sat Sharma, party general secretary (Org), Ashok Kaul, national secretary, Dr Narinder Singh, Leader of Opposition, Sunil Sharma, former Dy CM , Dr Nirmal Singh, former BJP president, Ravinder Raina, MLAs Sham Lal Sharma and Dr D K Manyal, former MLC, Vibodh Gupta, general secretaries, Sangita Dogra, Anwar Khan and Gopal Mahajan, former MLC, G L Raina, chairperson, Wakf Board, Dr Darakshan Andrabi and Neha Mahajan, president, BJP Mahila Morcha.
The meeting also constituted an Election Management Committee, for the two constituencies. For Nagrota Sham Lal Sharma, MLA Jammu North has been appointed as Election Incharge while Bharat Bushan DDC chairperson, Jammu has been appointed as Co-Incharge.
In Kashmir, Mohammed Anwar Khan, party general secretary has been appointed as election in charge while Imtiyaz Ahmed Bhat, general secretary BJP Minority Morcha will be the Co-Incharge.
Sources said the names of party candidates for Rajya Sabha seats are likely to be announced by October 11 and BJP will hold another meeting in Srinagar on October 12. The nomination for the Rajya Sabha seats will be made on October 13. Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh and party national general secretary, Tarun Chugh will remain present in Srinagar while filing of nomination papers by the party candidates.
Later talking to reporters at the sidelines of Core Group meeting BJP national general secretary, Tarun Chugh asked the National Conference (NC) to make its report card public on the completion of the first year of its Government, claiming that the party has failed to deliver on its promises made during the Assembly polls.
He said Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha gave his nod to 95 per cent of the decisions taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Government led by Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and that the NC is deliberately raking up the dual-power controversy to deviate the attention of the public from its own failures.
“My request to the Chief Minister is to come out with the report card of his Government, which will complete its first year in office next week…. He should make public the election promises that his Government has fulfilled,” Chugh said.
He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir demand accountability from the Government.
Asked about the remarks of NC leaders that the dual-power system is impacting governance and the Centre should fulfil its promise of restoring Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, he alleged that Abdullah is leading a Government of broken promises.
“They have completed 20 per cent of their five-year rule and forgotten their promises made to people,” Chugh said.
He claimed that 95 per cent of the decisions taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet in favour of the public received immediate approval from the LG.
“Not a single Government decision in the interest of the public was withheld (by the LG). Let them show sincerity and work for the welfare of the people, but the Government is only utilising the resources for enjoying power. It has shown no concern for tourism (which suffered immensely following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack),” the BJP leader said.
He accused both the NC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of using diversionary tactics to keep people engaged in unnecessary things.
Chugh said the BJP would contest both the Assembly by-polls and the Rajya Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir with all its might.
“We had one meeting (of the Core Group) recently and we will hold one more meeting in the coming days. Our party is run by activists, unlike other parties run by father-son, father-daughter or uncle-nephew duos,” he said.
On the reported statement of Dy CM, Surinder Choudhary that LG is a “daily wager,’’ Chugh said that “We can have ideological differences but in democracy we have to respect each other.’’
He said the party also strongly condemned the yesterday’s sacrilegious act at Khoulpur, Ramgarh where the Guru Granth Sahab was desecrated and demanded stern action against the culprit. He said Guru Granth Sahab is a sacred religious Granth revered by all and such an act can’t be tolerated.
Talking to reporters, Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Sunil Sharma said BJP will fight by- polls for both Budgam and Nagrota Assembly segments with its full might and field candidates for both the seats.
He took PDP to task for its proposed Bill to secure land holding rights in J&K in the Assembly saying that the party wants to give benefit to land encroachers and land Jehadis but BJP will defeat its designs.
Sharma said PDP is using this as tool kit for Budgam by elections after its rout in last year’s Assembly and Lok Sabha poll. “PDP tries to give benefit to land mafia like Needo’s Hotel and High Land Hotel’’, he added.
He said there is no mention in the proposed bill for the poor landless people for whom, the LG has allotted five marlas of land. He said with its proposed Bill, PDP is trying to change demography as “land mafia” has encroached vast land in Tawi belt in Jammu.
Former BJP president, Ravinder Raina, who exuded confidence that his party will win both the seats of Nagrota and Budgam said Nagrota is the traditional seat of BJP and party has won it in 2002, 2008 and 2024 elections. “We have good leaders in Budgam and the way the party gets support from Kashmir Valley it will certainly perform well in Budgam also this time,’’ he added.
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