Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 20: Former minister and president, District Congress Committee (DCC) Kathua, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma today strongly criticized local BJP leadership for playing with sentiments of people and betraying the nationalist people from Jammu region.
In a press statement here today Congress leader said that installation of new Toll Plaza at Lakhanpur has further exposed BJP’s anti-youth, anti-people policies and termed it as `organized loot’ to favour the crowny class on cost of common people. Manohar said any one who exposes anti-people policies of BJP and questions them, is termed as anti-national by BJP.
While questioning, Manohar recalled BJP State chief used to say that he will uproot Sarore Toll Plaza but shockingly instead of uprooting Sarore Toll Plaza, BJP led Government established the new one at Lakhanpur also. Further he said that NHAI has increased 5% Toll charges on three Toll Plazas within a distance of 130 kms (Lakhanpur, Sarore& Ban) which is also a clear violation of the norms.
“Government is looting the commuters, transporters who are already paying to Govt in many other forms of taxes. Therefore, we request the Govt to look into the matter and order removal of such Toll Plazas thus giving relief to the people of Jammu & Kashmir,” Manohar added.
He alleged that BJP has virtually changed Jammu from Land of Temples to “Land of Toll Plazas.”
“All the five districts of Jammu through which Jammu- Srinagar Highway passes will have Toll Plazas. The new Toll will adversely affect the Vaishno Devi pilgrims, who now have to pay road tax at three Toll Plazas to reach destination,” he added.
Sharma said that Government should not force people to come on roads and relook on the decision. He lambasted BJP by saying that BJP leadership always used hard times to bring such anti-people draconian laws as they know during times of curfews and corona pandemic, people can’t come on roads to protest, but now time has come to teach this anti-people BJP leadership a hard lesson,Sharma maintained.
Follow our WhatsApp channel