Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Nov 7: Assuring full support and its commitment in settling the demands of West Pakistan refugees, BJP today accused the successive State Governments as well as the Congress led Governments at Centre for the plight of these hapless people who have been denied citizenship rights in J&K after their displacement from Pakistan in 1947.
The West Pak refugees held a day long convention at Swankha More near Vijaypur on Sunday in which senior BJP leaders including Party president Sat Sharma (CA), MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, Minister of Industries and Commerce Chander Parkash Ganga and Party general secretary (Org) Ashok Kaul were special invitees.
All the Party leaders expressing their total solidarity with the refugees said that BJP is more concerned for the cause of West Pakistan refugees than these hapless people and it was the only party which from the first day of their displacement from Pakistan was demanding citizenship rights for them at par with other state subjects.
Addressing the convention BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma said that not only the Party but even Prime Minister Narendra Modi is concerned for their welfare. He said it is under the BJP rule that steps were taken to provide caste certificates to the West Pak refugees for the first time in Modi Government so that they will not face any problem in getting jobs on the basis SC and OBC certificates in Army and paramilitary forces.
He said a Committee has been constituted by Centre to find out the ways and means how to solve the problems of the refugees while the Party has also framed a Committee in this regard. Both these committees will sit separately soon to find out the ways and means for settling the issue.
Sat Sharma in his address said that BJP is not only concerned for the problems of West Pak refugees but PoJK as well as Kashmiri refuges also and Party wants that the problems of all refuges be settled once for all. He said a reference was made in Agenda of Alliance of coalition towards the West Pak refugees issues which shows our concern for them.
Admitting that their counterparts in other parts of India rose to the level of Prime Minister while they elude justice in J&K, Sat said BJP is fully with the refugees cause.
He said Party MPs including MoS, Dr Jitendra Singh, MP Jugal Kishroe Sharma and Shamsher Singh Manhas have raised the issue in Parliament at number of occasions also.
Ashok Kaul however accused first Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, first Prime Minister of J&K, Sheikh Mohamed Abdullah and successive State Governments and Congress Governments at Centre for the present crisis in Kashmir as well as problems of West Pak refugees.
He said blunder has been done in 1947 by former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and had Sardar Patel given the free hand on tackling Kashmir issue the things could have been different in the State.
Minister of Industries and Commerce Chander Parkash Ganga while justifying the demand of refugees said that they should struggle for their rights to seek justice.
Earlier president West Pak Refugees Action Committee, Labha Ram Gandhi while highlighting their problems said BJP should clear its stand on the same.
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