Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 29: Amid prevailing impasse over the Government formation in the State and the conspicuous BJP-PDP dialogues in the phased manner to draft a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) for cobbling up a ruling alliance, Jammu Pradesh United Front (JPUF) staged a massive protest demonstration and dharna in front of ‘Raj Bhawan’ here today.
Balwant Singh Mankotia, former MLA and convener along with other prominent leaders of the Front vociferously and vehemently impressed upon both the parties to incorporate the settlement of West Pak refugees, PoJK and Chhamb refugees of 1947, 65 and 71 besides the most coveted Chief Minister from the Jammu region.
Mr Mankotia while addressing the media revealed that the Front shall keep a strict vigil on the political situation of J&K and make sure that the people of Jammu Pradesh are not betrayed again by any political party. He said that before the Lok Sabha elections last year, BJP had promised the West Pak refugees to accord Permanent Resident (State Subject) rights to them within a year if they were voted to power.
But now when the time is ripe, it becomes a moral responsibility of the BJP to incorporate the demand of the refugees in the CMP on the first priority otherwise it would be a gross betrayal with them. “It is a tragic tale of the West Pak refugees that despite of living here for the last 67 years, they have not been granted State Subject rights which directly deprives them from seeking employment, purchasing immovable property and voting in the Assembly elections of the State,” Mankotia added.
Udhay Chand, spokesman of the Front said that it’s a life time opportunity for the BJP which is a second largest party with 25 MLA’s and a maximum vote share in the State to harp and project the Chief Ministerial incumbent from the Jammu region. He reminded that the BJP had assured the electorate before the Assembly elections to pitch the CM from Jammu Pradesh if they were voted to power. ” Since the people of Jammu had voted overwhelmingly in favour of the BJP keeping their assurances in mind, the onus lies on the BJP to respect the clear cut mandate of the people by at least pressing upon the CM from Jammu province while chalking out the CMP with the PDP”, Uday maintained.
Other leaders who spoke on the occasion included Sunil Dimple. K S Manhas, Rajesh Kesari , Rajiv Mahajan, Rajan Gupta, Sanjeev Gupta, Mahesh Padha, Gagan Pratap Singh, Kailash Mohan, Parduman Singh, Rajesh Pargotra, Th Virender Singh, Anil Rakwal, Satvir Singh etc.
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