BJP announces sops for Kashmir, Jammu gets Toll Plazas: Harshdev

Excelsior Correspondent
VIJAYPUR, Oct 12: Accusing the BJP led Govt of doling out the most discriminatory treatment to Jammu even after abrogation of Art 370, NPP chairman and former minister Harshdev Singh said that while sops were announced for Kashmir and Ladakh, the Dogra land was being given one shocker after the other.
Addressing public gathering at Sangwal in Vijaypur today, Singh divulged that several ministries of Central Govt including HRD teams, Minority Affairs and Home Ministry teams besides others had repeatedly visited Kashmir, post Art 370 abrogation, with announcements of opening professional colleges, schools, Hospitals, skill development centres, socio-economic development projects besides release of funds for facelift of Srinagar city and its suburbs. They introduced Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for procurement for Kashmir apples, walnuts and saffron while failing to address the genuine concerns of Jammu region farmers devastated by untimely rains and other vagaries of weather.
“The youth of Jammu were shocked over the latest statement of Govt assuring Govt jobs and self employment schemes for gun wielding youth in the event of their giving up arms. Earlier also, the Govt had mooted a proposal for doubling the scholarship of wards of militants. The recently released select list of Fire Services Deptt had come as a bolt from the blue for the Jammu youth who felt betrayed as never before. Recently the Govt has announced several concessions for Kashmir students in Higher Education Deptt to the neglect of Jammu region,” he added.
Singh said Central BJP leaders were regularly visiting Ladakh with assurances to protect their ethnicity, jobs, culture, language, land and employment. He deplored that with Ladakh too getting due attention of Central leadership in the form of its inclusion in “Tribal Areas” category through proposed amendment of sixth schedule of constitution and its further inclusion, under “Smart Cities Mission”, it was Jammu region alone which continued to be looked upon with a jaundiced eye by Govt at the centre. “If Jammu was given anything, it was announcements in the form of Toll Plazas and recently introduced Property tax some opened and others in the pipeline”, Singh maintained.
Senior leaders Yash Paul Kundal, Rajesh Padgotra, Surinder Chouhan and Yash Paul Sharma also spoke on the occasion. On this occasion 25 local youth also joined party.