Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 29: National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana today asserted that there can’t be any compromise with Jammu interest and aspirations, saying recognition of this fact is reflected in the document compiled by the party years ago with regard to satiating the regional and sub-regional aspirations.
“Equal opportunities of progress and development is imperative for the harmonious growth of Jammu and Kashmir, Rana said at a brief function at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here this morning, held in accordance with the preventive protocol by maintaining social distance and wearing masks.
The occasion was to welcome into the National Conference fold some prominent social activists of Kathua led by S Charanjeet Singh in the presence of senior party leaders including Th Kashmira Singh.
Rana lamented that the Jammu interest was hugely compromised in recent years, especially during the coalition dispensations in three years between 2015 and 2019, which witnessed the region getting neglected in respect of development, implementation of welfare schemes and even the employment, thus exposing the self-styled Messiahs, who willingly assumed the role of exploiters and tormentors of the Jammu psyche and pride. The entire development exercise undertaken over the years got fractured due to administrative naivety and vested interest of those at the helm, he said, adding that Jammu is still struggling to come out of the trauma unleashed in the nightmarish rule.
He said the penalty of mandating the exploiters to power is being borne by every segment of Jammu society, especially the educated unemployed, who were denied equal opportunities in employment carried out by various recruiting agencies. The self-styled champions of the Jammu cause played mute to grave injustice meted out to youth because self interest was dearer to them than the Jammu interest, he observed.
The Provincial President said that ignoring the Jammu interest tantamount to insulting the self-respecting people, who have always been large hearted. The exploiters in the political set up misinterpreted the magnanimity of Jammuities as ignorance and kept bartering their interest for their own vested interest, which is no more a secret. He said the time is not far when the people will make the exploiters accountable for their sins committed against Jammu.
He said the National Conference has and will continue to raise the issues facing people and fight any sort of injustice meted out to them.
Welcoming the new entrants into the party fold, the Provincial President said the National Conference is a natural destination for well meaning and public spirited who want to serve the people, irrespective of caste, creed, region or religion.
Prominent among the social activists who joined the National Conference included, Hardeep Singh, Prithpal Singh, Rajinder Singh, Surjeet Singh, Rahul Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Tejinder Singh, Didar Singh, Parvinder Singh, Ahmed Ali, Makhan Din, Swar Din and Mohd Sadiq.
Those present on the occasion included Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Shafqat Watali, K.K Bakshi, Shakeel Tony, Ravinder Salathia, Tarsem Khullar and others.