Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 21: National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana today cautioned against conspiracy being hatched by the BJP in connivance with PDP to dilute State Subject laws in a clandestine manner and under covert operations to weaken special status of the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
“BJP has unleashed a sinister and motivated disimformation campaign, especially in the Jammu region, to hoodwink public opinion by creating an impression that doing away with the State Subject laws will benefit the Dogras”, Rana said while addressing a day-long convention organized by NC ST Cell at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan this afternoon, adding that the Dogras will, on the contrary, be hurt the most.
Besides Co-Chairperson of the NC SC Cell Vijay Lochan, former minister Babu Jagjeevan Lal and former legislators Dr Chamn Lal and Satpal Lakhotra were also present in the convention.
Rana said though the BJP is systematically working towards repealing these laws by whipping up passions on this sensitive issue yet they are conveniently concealing the facts, which compelled the visionary Maharaja Hari Singh to enact the State Subject laws in 1927 to safeguard the interests of people of the State from dominance of elite and affluent sections of non-state subjects, essentially from the neighbouring Punjab.
He said enactment of these laws had not been sought either by the people of Kashmir or Ladakh but the Dogras of Jammu had legitimate apprehensions about wealthy businessmen from Punjab settling down in the region and shrinking their economy.
“The farsightedness shown by the Maharaja over nine decades ago is now being negated and exploited by the BJP, in its mistaken pursuit of ultra-nationalism”, he said.
Rana said that the coalition partners, PDP and BJP are in league to clandestinely repeal this constitutional guarantee, which is a legitimate provision to preserve the rights of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. In this context he referred to his resolution moved in the Legislative Assembly for taking effective legal, political and administrative steps to safeguard Article 35A of the Constitution of India, which was opposed by the ruling combination.
The Provincial President lamented that instead of engaging itself in constructive governance, the PDP-BJP coalition is pursuing with destructive policies and adding to the miseries of people. In this context, he referred to the plight of the 1947, 1965 and 1971 refugees of Pak occupied Jammu and Kashmir and said that against the recommendation of Rs 9025 crore as one-time settlement, the BJP led NDA Government at the Centre has released just Rs 2,000 crores. He said the NC led dispensation had formulated its recommendations after due survey and deliberations.
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