We continue to be in BJP, says Gupta

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 20: The seven rebel BJP MLAs who were disqualified by the Party High Command for cross voting episode last year said they continue in the Party and Prof Chaman Lal Gupta was still the leader of Legislative Party. However this was turned down by the party which held its Core Group meeting here today.
Talking to reporters here today the rebel BJP MLAs headed by former Union MoS. Prof Chaman Lal Gupta alleged that the cross voting episode was part of a design to weaken the nationalist voice of this State, more so, that of Jammu. But maintained that there is no change in their ideology and approach.
“As for as our status is concerned, the verdict of the Speaker is very clear that we continue to be the part and parcel ofthe BJP” and I am the leader of the Party in Assembly”, said Prof Gupta.
He said they firmly strand to the verdict of the electorates and would continue to strive for solution of the problems and removal of sufferings of the poorpeople as also those who are being discriminated against for various reasons by the Government.
“It is our firm belief that to bring to an end to the so-called Kashmir problem, all the barriers between this State and the rest of India should be demolished and there should be free flow of the Indian Constitution like other part of the country” said Prof Gupta.
He said the steps should be taken to bring the regional disparities to an end, which are the outcome of communal and regional bias of the men in power over the years. In this regard our stand had always been that there should be Regional Councils with statutory powers.
To remove the regional imbalances the first and the foremost step requires the proper delimitation of the Assembly Constituencies which have been denied by putting an embargo that there would be no delimitation till 2026, although there is no such bar in other parts of the country, said Prof Gupta. This embargo is also depriving the due political reservation to the Scheduled Tribes of the State, he added.
Alleging discrepancies in electoral rolls, he said they are not only faulty but also full of howlers and contradictions. Even the Photo Identity Cards issued by the Election Commission of India are loaded with mistakes and contradictions. The names of electorates written in English do not tally with those written in Urdu. All these needed a probe to identify the hands behind all this wrong.
There are numerous other problems, which need rectification and measures for their solutions. These also include those of the unemployed youth, refugees from West Pakistan, migrant from POK and displaced persons from within the State as also many other sections of the society.
However BJP national leader R P Singh who was here to attend the Party’s Core Group meeting said that BJP’s stand regarding the seven MLAs is clear and there is no shift in that. He denied that these MLAs are part of BJP saying had they been in Party they would have never said that “we continue to be in BJP”.
Others present in the press conference included Master Lal Chand, Jagdish Raj Sapolia, Durga Dass, Prof Garu Ram, Baldev Raj Sharma and Bharat Bhushan.