Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 13: Stating that West Pakistani Refugees (WPRs) are the worst victims of Article 35-A, former MLA and senior BJP leader Ashwani Sharma today said that his party is committed to provide the citizenship rights to these refugees.
He said that for past 70 years WPRs are suffering due to ‘special status’ of the State and have been deprived of the basic rights which people in rest of the country are enjoying.
Addressing a public meeting at Arnia which was attended by hundreds of WPRs, Ashwani Sharma said that National Conference (NC) and Congress parties are responsible for the mess in the State by keeping a large chunk of population without the basic rights.
“Despite living in this State since Independence WPRs are yet to get identity of being the citizen of the State and have property rights. These refugees are not given the chance to get employment in the State where they have spent their entire life. They have given their blood to this nation but in response they have not been given peanuts,” Ashwani Sharma said.
He took on NC and Congress for playing the politics on Article 35-A which is the main cause of discrimination with refugees. “These parties have double standards towards the State when it comes to give citizenship rights to refugees. They are not even loyal to their women folk who are also victims of Article 35-A,” he said, adding that if a woman from overseas is married to a person in J&K, she gets all the rights but if a State Subject woman marries outside the State, her children don’t get rights.
“Both NC and Congress these days are invoking Maharaja in safeguarding the Article 35-A but are playing politics when it comes to announce holiday on Maharaja’s birthday. This is their double standard,” he said.
Sharma said though the Article 35-A matter is sub-judice and BJP respects the law but it is indeed a grave issue due to which refugees and women folk are yet to get their right.
He assured WPRs that their issue will be resolved soon as BJP is committed to provide equal rights to them like other citizens of the State and for achieving that if BJP requires to expose NC and Congress, they will do that.
The others who were present , Romesh Saini, Mandal president Arnia, Yashpal Saini Mandal General Secretary, Yash Pal Chowdhary Mandal Vice – President, Romesh Kumar Saini West Pakistani Refugee leader Arnia, Naib Sarpanch Davinder Singh, Ashu Saini.
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