Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 5: Former MLC and senior vice president of J&K Pradesh Congress Committee, Ravider Sharma has said that allocating one seat for over 15 lakh PoJK refugees/ displaced persons is great injustice and a betrayal of promise by the BJP with them.
Reacting to the provision of nomination of one Assembly seat to PoJK refugees, Sharma termed it a great betrayal by the ruling BJP against the promise of allocating eight (8) seats to PoJK refugees, whose number is more than 15 lakhs today.
Former MLC said that it was an open promise of the BJP before 2014 general elections that PoJK refugees would be allocated 1/3 Assembly seats out of 24 MLA seats reserved for PoJK residents. Today only one Assembly seat is being allocated to PoJK refugees that too in nominated category, is a betrayal and injustice to them (PoJK Refugees).
Again the Kashmiri migrants are being allocated two seats, which too is less for them, but why one seat to PoJK refugees whose number is above 15 lakhs today, what is the criteria of allocation of allocation of Assembly seats in the bill, Sharma questioned, while elaborating that an MLA in J&K, is being elected by an average population of around one to 1.25 lakhs, but for KPS & PoJK, there is no reference to their population and only a thumb rule is being followed, he added.
Sharma, himself a PoJK resident, termed it unjustified that too in a nominated category for the displaced community, on this count apart from denial of other rights including non-sanction of full package of Rs 30 lakhs per family, reservation to their wards, as recommended by then State Govt.
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