- BJP must remember its election promises while finalizing CMP: Harsh
JAMMU: Reminding the BJP of its grandiloquent promises and emphatic assurances doled out to the people of Jammu region at the time of elections, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and former Minister has said that any departure or deviation from the same would only amount to surrender and evoke sharp reaction from the people of Jammu region who are eagerly awaiting the incorporation of all BJP’s slogans in the CMP. He said that BJP had made several commitments in its ‘Vision Document’ released at the time of Assembly Elections on the strength of which the people of Jammu region gave it an overwhelming mandate with the party achieving an unprecedented feat in the history of state. He said that it was good that the BJP was exploring ways and means for formulation of the much awaited govt. in the state but the pertinent question was at what cost. He said that the people were curious to know the conditions on which the BJP had agreed to support PDP led govt. and also the fate of the assurances and promises made by it to the electorates of Jammu Division.
Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that while the PDP had clarified its stand in the media that it would not compromise on its agenda which included issue of full six year term as CM; freezing of Art 370, phase wise revocation of AFSPA, Return of power projects to state, reconciliation dialogue, cross LoC Trade etc., the BJP had ,on the contrary, chosen to keep mum on the issues which had been prominently highlighted by it in its ‘Vision Document’ besides having made haughty claims of their early settlement after elections. Making a particular mention of some of the main highlights of the BJP’s major commitments, he said that it had assured a Jammu region CM; and early delimitation of Assembly constituencies so as to end the age old discrimination meted out to Jammu region. Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that the BJP had categorically stated in its vision document to grant state subject rights to west Pak refugees.
He said that the BJP’s vision document categorically assured to grant WPR’s the “right to vote in Assembly and local bodies”, “right to immovable property”, “right to higher and technical education”, and “right to state govt. Jobs”. He said that vision document further assured to “abolish the custodian department and allot the evacuee property to the occupants of the said properties”. He said that the vision document further contained categorical assurances to “reserve five seats for PoJK refugees out of 24 seats left vacant in the assembly for PoJk and three for displaced Kashmiries out of 46 seats earmarked for Kashmir valley”.
He said that there were several other assurances in the vision document regarding “issuance of Dogra certificates to Jammu Youth, granting 33 % reservation to women in legislative Assembly , Legislative council besides establishment of Sharda University and inclusion of Devnagri as an alternate script for Kashmiri languages”. He said that while there was no harm in forging an alliance with any state political party, the electorates must be taken on board and their mandate respected by fulfilling the promises on the basis of which they had exercised their right of franchise. He said that people of Jammu region who had given their overwhelming support in favour of the issues and promises held out by the BJP wanted to know the fate of negotiations on the said subjects and were desperately looking forward towards their incorporation in the proposed CMP to be followed by immediate action for their early implementation.
Mr. Harsh Dev Singh pointed out that Jammu region undoubtedly had suffered at the hands of successive Union and State Govts., but it was BJP which had come out most vociferously during the recent Assembly elections and pledging to settle the unresolved issues assuring and re-assuring the people of Jammu that it was their only ‘messiha’ and it being the only Party that could salvage them and ensure them justice. He said even PM Modi during his rally in Jammu on December 8, 2014had categorically remarked that Jammu region had been discriminated against by successive govts. He had further appealed to the Jammu people during his final rally in Jammu on December 16, 2014 to give all 20 seats going to polls in the last phase in Jammu region to BJP as BJP favoured early redressal of the pending issues of this region. He said that even Arun Jaitley had made a statement to drive home his point on Art 370 that “no private investor would invest in a place where he can’t own the land” implying clearly thereby that the curbs on land ownership had got to go.
Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that the expectations from BJP were very high and the public sentiment was required to be respected by the BJP while finalizing the CMP and forming the coalition govt. He said that Jammu expected BJP to desist from lame excuses and to ensure that its election commitments were duly honoured. He said that BJP must remember that abandoning of the elections promises and relinquishment of Jammu based issues by the use of political cosmetics by the BJP would prove highly counterproductive for it. He said that any ideological retreat or any departure from the vision document for the lust of power would only be viewed as a surrender and sell out on the part of BJP which could have disastrous ramifications for the saffron party besides igniting passions of an extremely expectant and hopeful Jammu region. He said that brokering of a govt. by hook or crook by disregarding the sentiments of Jammu region would only amount to political opportunism and a sheer act of political debauchery and would be unacceptable to the people who have pinned high hopes from the saffron party.