Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Aug 19: Former minister and NPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh today said that, having been denied parity and an equitable share in the State’s resources, the Jammu region continued to suffer a highly biased and prejudicial treatment even during the BJP rule at the centre and the state.
Addressing a public meeting at Kathua today, Singh said that the share of Jammu region in various sectors including employment and funds allocation having further squeezed during the last few years, the mandated Jammu leaders utterly failed to live up to the expectations of people. He claimed that with separatists and the boycott fringe setting the agenda for the erstwhile coalition and the BJP leaders succumbing unilaterally to the dictates of Kashmir centric leadership, the people of Jammu were belittled and betrayed.
Accusing the BJP of having cheated the people by its false rhetoric, Singh said peoples’ faith in saffron party had completely been shaken and its real intents exposed. The BJP which earlier groaned on trivial issues and would nail anyone and everyone for not doing enough for Jammu had itself made the biggest compromises with the honour and pride of Jammu in frequent fixed matches. He said not only that, the BJP further tried to cheat the people of Jammu by its double dealing and duplicity over various issues including Rasana case and decision of unilateral ceasefire.
Urging upon the people to support NPP, Singh said that it was the only party that was relentlessly fighting for the rights and concerns of people of Jammu irrespective of caste, creed and colour. He said there was not a single Jammu issue which remained un-agitated by the NPP with protests held in Jammu, Srinagar and New Delhi on regular basis so as to make the Govt accountable and answerable to the people. ” We are committed to fight for the pride and honour of Dogras till the last,” Harsh Dev Singh said.
Balwant Singh Mankotia came down heavily on the BJP for its treachery and deceit especially with the people inhabiting the border areas who faced untold miseries during the last four years due to Pak misadventures. He said that despite the tall slogans of enhanced compensation and 5 marla plots in safer zones, the aggrieved residents of IB and LoC were left at the mercy of God with Govt completely apathetic to their woes and sufferings.