This election will change fate of country: Shekhawat
Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, Mar 21: Amid high enthusiasm among his thousands of supporters, Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh today filed his nomination papers from the Udhampur-Kathua Lok Sabha constituency for the first phase of general elections to be held on April 19.
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Flanked by his wife Manju Singh and Union Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Dr Jitendra Singh filed his nomination papers at the office of Returning Officer, Rakesh Minhas in Kathua town, officials said. He is the first Union Minister who filed the nomination papers today.
The notification for the Udhampur-Kathua constituency was issued on Wednesday along with 102 seats in 17 States and four Union Territories where polls will be held in the first phase.
Meanwhile, former MLA from Reasi, Baldev Sharma has been appointed as Chief Election agent of Dr Jitendra Singh for the Udhampur -Doda Parliamentary constituency.
Dr Jitendra Singh, whose candidature was announced in the BJP’s first list on March 3, performed a Puja at his residence in Trikuta Nagar area of the Jammu city in the presence of BJP leaders, friends and relatives earlier in the day.
The two-time MP from Udhampur-Kathua is aiming for a hat-trick of wins and thanked the people for their faith in him while seeking their blessings for yet another term.
“The people from the hills of Kishtwar and Doda had come here yesterday to show their love and faith in Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. It is proof of the work done in this region. But the opposition failed to see any development,” Dr Jitendra Singh said while addressing a huge rally.
Seeking the support of the people, he said, “I bow before you for the love and faith in me and I again seek your blessings”.
Dr Jitendra Singh also lambasted earlier Governments especially Congress for totally neglecting the Kathua -Udhampur Doda constituency in development for 70 long years.
He said the leaders of these parties exploited the sentiments of the people during the elections and later left them in lurch. He said the poster masters and those leaders who talk in a louder tongue exploited the people for votes and never paid attention for the development of the area.
Dr Jitendra Singh said Congress party was not ready to spend Rs 150 crore for construction of Keriyan Gandyal bridge to benefit one or two Panchayats of the area. But contrary to that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has given a clear message to his cadre to pay attention to the hitherto neglected and backward areas without considering whether the people constitute vote bank of the party or not, he added.
He said it was due his efforts that the alignment of six lane National Corridor from Delhi to holy city of Katra was changed so that the Highway passes via Kathua town despite the fact that big towns of Punjab including, Jalandhar and Ludhiana were bypassed. The Kathua- Udhampur and Doda is the only Parliamentary constituency in the country which got three medical colleges, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh said besides, North India’s first Seed Processing Plant and Biotech Park were established in Kathua. The Atal Sethu cable bridge was also constructed in Kathua district and it has become a tourist and picnic spot now, he added.
He urged people that they should ask the previous public representatives who they voted earlier why development of the constituency was never a priority for them. He said the youth on International Border right from Kathua to Akhnoor were discriminated by depriving them of four percent reservations which was given to people of Line of Control on political considerations. But soon after getting elected as MP this grave anomaly was done away with by Modi Government and people living on IB were also accorded four percent reservations on pattern of LoC, he added.
Moreover, Modi Government did not make any discrimination on basis of caste, religion and region while giving benefit of various Government schemes to people like Ujwala, Ayushman Bharat or Aawas Yojna etc. “ We prioritized to give benefit of these schemes first to those people who did not vote for US, which is the real spirit of democracy”, he added.
He said the Kaccha houses were converted into Pacca houses but our opponents having a myopic eye can’t see this development. He said J&K is the only UT in the country which got two Vande Bharat trains.
Addressing the rally Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat took did at UPA and termed it a Government of scams. “The UPA was tainted Government and there was hardly any day when one or two scams committed under its rule did not make headlines of newspapers”.
Terming earlier UPA alliance a weak Government, Shekhawar said “Two kind of news was read daily during its rule. One was scam and another was terrorist attacks. There was hardly any day when news papers were not filled with such stories. The Kashmir was marred by terrorist killings, stone pelting bandhs and strikes during UPA rule as its leadership lacked a strong policy and will to quell terrorism,. In comparison to that entire ground situation changed in country during Modi rule and India attained a respectable place in comity of nations.”
He said India’s economy got tremendous boost which was under shambles during UPA rule. “UPA was such a weak dispensation that the armed forces were not given the authority to take stern action against terrorism”. The people should tell categorically to the political parties that they will not vote for those parties who are against the Sanatan Dharma,” he added.
Terming this a crucial election, he said it will change the fate of country. He said Modi is a strong and bold leader who took a historic decision of annulling Articles 370 and 35 A, despite the warning of Kashmiri leaders that Kashmir will be soaked in blood. But nothing happened even a single bullet was not fired from anywhere, he added.
Shekhawat said the earlier Governments had sabotaged Shahpur Kandi Project and it was with the efforts of Dr Jitendra Singh that Modi Government took initiative in its construction.
The rally was also addressed by BJP J&K president, Ravinder Raina who also highlighted the development agenda of Modi Government.
BJP leaders, party national secretary, Dr Narinder Singh, Ashok Koul, general secretary (Org), former Dy CM, Dr Nirmal Singh, party general secretary, Dr D K Manyal, vice president, Shakti Parihar, former Ministers, Rajiv Jasrotia and Priya Sethi, R S Pathania, ex MLA, party chief spokesperson, Sunil Sethi, Prem Nath Dogra, Gopal Mahajan, Ragunandan Singh Bablu, P C Sharma and others were present in the rally.
Before filing the nomination papers, Dr Jitendra Singh took out a massive rally from Kalibari to Ramlila Ground Kathua that saw the participation of Union Minister, Shekhawat, Dalip Singh Rana, better known as ‘The Great Khali’ for his exploits in the World Wrestling Entertainment, BJP J&K chief Ravinder Raina, and other leaders.
Khali, who is also a BJP leader, sought votes for Singh and said the region has progressed under him. People enroute greeted him and other BJP leaders with garlands and showering flowers.
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