Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 18: Discrimination with Jammu region, Union Territory (UT) status for Ladakh and permanent solution to Kashmir problem would figure prominently in the 16th Lok Sabha, the elections for which concluded recently as newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from all three regions geared up to face the challenges ahead.
Of three BJP MPs elected from Jammu and Kashmir out of a total of six seats, one of them was almost certain to get a Ministerial berth in Narendra Modi led NDA Government at the Centre. This would be for the first time after 1999 Atal Bihari Vajpayee led NDA Government that an elected MP from Jammu region would get representation in the Council of Ministry.
Expelled BJP MLA from Jammu West had represented the State as Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Defence in Vajpayee Government in 1999. Though Ghulam Nabi Azad is Health and Family Welfare Minister in the outgoing UPA-II Government, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said a permanent solution to the Kashmir problem would be high on the agenda of the party.
“Apart from development works, our focus would be on finding a permanent solution to the Kashmir problem so that the problems faced by the people are put to an end,” she said, adding “there were a lot of issues to be raised in the Parliament as well as with the Government”.
BJP’s giant killer and newly elected MP from Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat Dr Jitendera Singh, who had defeated Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, said expedition of work on projects of national importance like taking train to Katra and beyond, completion of four laning of National Highway, started during Vajpayee regime and more hydro-electric power projects were in his priority list as new MP.
Dr Singh said he would strive for independent probe by an impartial agency, most likely the CBI, into August 9 Kishtwar riots, permanent jobs for SPOs and VDCs, generating employment opportunities and bringing more projects were also in his “list of works as MP”. He said the BJP would make all efforts to link Basohli with the railway line.
BJP state president and Jammu-Poonch MP Jugal Kishore Sharma said problems of all refugees, undoing discrimination with Jammu region, setting up of Delimitation Commission for political justice to Jammu region, development, employment and other issued figured in his agenda and he would take up all these issues with the new Government as well as in the Lok Sabha.
Sharma, who has recorded highest victory margin of over 2.57 lakh in Jammu and Kashmir, hoped that the majority BJP Government would solve long pending grievances of Jammu region and take concrete measures to undo them. “We will take up the issues and we are confident our Government will address them,” he said.
Union Territory (UT) status for Ladakh, which had been assured to the people at a public rally at Leh by senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari during electioneering for Lok Sabha, would be one of the major demands the newly elected BJP MP from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang would be taking up in the Lok Sabha as well as with the new Government.
However, it would be an uphill task for the BJP to fulfill the demand of UT status for Ladakh as it would mean division of Jammu and Kashmir, political observers said.
Chhewang, who had recorded lowest victory margin of 36 votes in the entire country, seems confident on his demand.
He said he would also take up other electoral promises like inclusion of Boti language in 8th schedule, opening of Kailash Mansarovar yatra route to China from Ladakh, tourism, job and development opportunities for Ladakh including special recruitment for youth including women in para-military forces, expediting work on Zojila tunnel and expansion of Kargil Airport etc.
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