Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 24: Seven BJP rebel MLAs have turned down the Government proposal to contribute Rs five lakh minimum and Rs 10 lakh maximum towards Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for victims of communal violence in Kishtwar.
This was announced by the rebel BJP MLAs at a joint press conference here, today held under the leadership of Prof Chaman Lal Gupta.
“The proposal is not acceptable to us’’ said MLA Basohli, Jagdish Raj Sapolia. “We had approached the Government to allow each MLA of the group to contribute Rs 10 lakh for the violence hit people of Kishtwar as relief but the Government send the proposal to Planning Department which instead of accepting the same has asked us to contribute the amount to CM’s Relief Fund and that is not acceptable to us’’, he added.
Justifying the proposal of rebel MLAs regarding contributing of Rs 10 lakh by each of them for Kishtwar violence hit people, Prof Gupta said there is precedence in the State as well as country with MLAs and MPs of other constituencies contributing for natural calamities.
He while taking Government to task for its failure in averting the August 9 violence in Kishtwar said the statements of the administration totally baseless that they had made arrangements of security to prevent violence on old route while the people left via new route and indulged in violence.
Prof Gupta also expressed concern over the controversy created about the secret fund of Army and said former Army Chief Gen (retd)V K Singh should have not spoken publicly about the fund. He also took the Union Government to task for forcing the former Army Chief to bring issues to public.
On the reports of their re-entry in BJP, Prof Gupta termed the question as very hypothetical saying no MLA of his group has received any communiqué from BJP leadership in this regard as yet.
Warning Government against the reported move of taking over the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Baldev Raj Sharma, MLA Reasi said that this will be strongly resisted. He said the Party will raise the issue in coming Assembly session at Srinagar also as SMVDSB has done a commendable job and since its formation the number of pilgrims visiting the holy cave has crossed over one crore annually.
Prof Gupta also criticized the Government of curtailing the duration of Assembly session in the State and said it should be minimum of 100 days duration per calendar year.
MLA R S Pura, Prof Garu Ram and MLA Raipur- Damana, Bharat Bushan alias Bodhi were also present in the press conference.
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