Ministers on sabbatical in J&K at public expense: Harshdev

NPP chairman Harshdev Singh addressing public gathering at Ramnagar on Wednesday.
NPP chairman Harshdev Singh addressing public gathering at Ramnagar on Wednesday.

Excelsior Correspondent

RAMNAGAR, Jan 22: With rest of the States of the country facing turmoil and disturbances in the aftermath of CAA and NPR row, the Union Ministers appear to have chosen the peaceful and calm environs of J&K for a pleasant break.
This was stated by former minister and NPP chairman Harshdev Singh while addressing a public gathering at Ramnagar. He said the minister are on a sabbatical in J&K on public expense far away from the heat generated by the protestors across the nation over citizenship laws and other issues. The places of visit have been randomly selected by the said ministers in consultation with their local party colleagues ensuring that troublesome areas are omitted from their itinerary and disgruntled people are avoided.
Pointing towards the media reports from New Delhi that the Union Ministers were visiting J&K to aware the people about benefits of abrogation of Art 370 and withdrawal of special status, Singh said that such awareness was more required in Kashmir region than Jammu. Interestingly, however, Central Ministers had shown their disinclination towards Kashmir as only five out of around 40 Ministers were reported to have planned visits to valley.
“Even in Jammu region, the said Ministers were indulging in inaugurations of some petty development works with their speeches full of tired shibboleths. It was not under-stable as to how the same could help them achieve their objective of educating people. It was further not clarified as to what prompted them to visit J&K with the aforesaid motive five and half months after the scrapping of Art 370 and downgrading of the State into UTs”, Singh asserted.
Taking a pot-shot at the ministers for making announcement of some development schemes, Singh said that majority of them were already ongoing projects. And several other announcements were only a repetition of the promises made earlier, said Singh.  He observed that even new announcements, if any, and howsoever false, ought to have been preceded by lifting of restrictions and resumption of normalcy in J&K needed ought to have been the priority of Central leadership.
Asserting that ministers’ sojourn to J&K under the name and style of “Public outreach programme” was only an eyewash, Singh said that it had nothing to do with the aspirations of the people. The people were being hardly taken on board during the said programmes.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here