Excelsior Correspondent
RAMBAN, Apr 13: Demanding restoration of AIIMS back to Jammu region, JKNPP activists took out a protest rally, here today.
Led by Balwant Singh Mankotia, State president JKNPP, district unit leaders of the Panthers Party, Panthers Trade Union and Young Panthers besides the party activists took part in the rally.
They assembled at Bus Stand Ramban and staged a Dharna, during which anti-Government slogans were raised. Thereafter, a rally was taken out from the Bus Stand. It passed through several markets and lanes of Ramban town and finally culminated near the DC office.
While addressing the gathering, Balwant Mankotia accused the ruling alliance of perpetuating discrimination against Jammu region. He alleged that the BJP had totally surrendered to the whims of its coalition partner PDP for petty political gains thus belying all legitimate hopes and anticipations of the people of this region.
“The BJP, which had climbed the ladder of power on the slogan of Empowerment of Jammu’ gave the biggest shocker to Jammuites by surrendering the most prestigious Rs 1600 crore AIIMS project to Kashmir despite the same having been sanctioned for Jammu,” Mankotia said and reminded the BJP of the statements made by the Union Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on February 28, 2015 categorically announcing the establishment of the said institute in Jammu.
The JKNPP leader also lambasted the BJP legislators for their criminal silence during the three week long Assembly Session, in which they failed to rake up any of the Jammu based issues. “The despicable surrender of all the Jammu centric issues including the AIIMS by the Saffron Party before the PDP has hung heads of the Dogras and Paharis in shame and humiliation,” he said.