Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 29: Sikh Awareness Society ( SAS), Jammu has urged upon the top BJP and PDP leadership to provide cabinet berth to Sikh community member in the new Government in the State.
Addressing a joint press conference here today senior members of the Society Dr Bhupinder Singh ( Retd Director Animal Husbandry), Manmohan Singh and Harbans Singh said that after the untimely death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed, the State Cabinet was dissolved and Governor Rule was imposed.
The Sikhs residing in Jammu and Kashmir were deprived of their political right in the previous BJP -PDP Coalition Govt which was in existence for 10 months. Again, new Govt is likely to be formed in next couple of days and there is apprehension that the Sikh community is again likely to be ignored as per the ground practice of both the parties.
“We the Sikhs of J&K having six lakhs population sacrificed a lot for the unity and integrity of State during 1947 turmoil and till date. Our aspirations were ignored by these two parties and there is resentment among the community members,” they maintained.
The issues of Sikhs including those of 1947 refugees, Minority Commission in J&K and teaching of Punjabi subject in school and collages of J&K have still remain unresolved due to the non- representation of Sikhs in State Cabinet and other fields since a decade.
“We demand from BJP a Cabinet berth for Charanjeet Singh Khalsa, who is a Member in the Upper House. He is people- friendly leader of the community and hope that PDP will also take forward step to include a Sikh Minister from PDP quota to restore the confidence of Sikhs,” they asserted.
It is hoped that the BJP and PDP leadership will took forward the matter as per the aspiration and hopes of the masses so that the Sikh community may not feel stranger in its own State, they added.
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