Cabinet’s call on nomination of DPs seats welcome step: JKSAC

JKSAC members at a meeting in R S Pura.
JKSAC members at a meeting in R S Pura.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 17: The Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) has welcomed Union cabinet for taking call on nomination of seats for the Displaced Persons (DPs) of 1947 from POK in the J&K Legislative Assembly as per the recommendations of Delimitation Commission.
The member during a meeting in RS Pura today made an appeal to PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to defreeze the DP’s share of 8 seats which have been captivated by the past several governments having no justification and termed it as a most appropriate time to deliver justice to DPs who are clamoring for their constitutions rights for the last more than 5 decades.
The participants also appealed to Union MoS in PMO, Dr Jatinder Singh and le Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma and other senior leaders of Pardesh BJP to impress upon the Central Govt to release the DPs seats proportional to their population in one go in the UT of J&K.
Speaking in the meeting Gurdev Singh, president alongwith Bhagwan Singh, Capt. Puran Singh Chib, Ch Joginder Lal and Tarlok Singh Tara said that DPs are claiming for their legitimate constitutional rights under the banner of JKSAC since its inception in 1967 but unfortunately having no political support DP’s voice was crushed. He said that DPs have represented to Delimitation Commission with all the evidences to recommend their share of seats in proportion to their population now settled in Jammu region as J&K has fully integrated and the govt is now left with no justification to captivate their constitutional rights of representation. He said that it is not understood how the Delimitation Commission made recommendation to the Central Govt for consideration of only 2 seats which lacks justification.
He apprised the participant members that Constituent Assembly was convened in 1951 and delineated 100 seats for J&K. The election was held for 75 seats only and DPs share of seats numbering 24/25 were reserved and kept vacant. He said that strength of assembly seats remained 100 only when as an act was passed in 1988 and seats of J&K assembly were increased by 111 in 1995 after making an amendment by the Govt of erstwhile J&K state.
JKSAC raised their voice forcefully and started Andolan in 1988 and similarly again resented strongly in 1995 but unfortunately DPs having no support of Jammu based political parties, they were denied of their legitimate rights of constitutional representation, he added.