Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 17: Castigating PDP and NC leadership for befooling Gujjars and Bakerwals by keeping them aloof from their genuine rights for decades together, former Deputy Chief Minister, Kavinder Gupta said that affection and bonhomie showcased by these parties towards Scheduled Tribes is mere rhetoric as their deeds totally mismatch their uttering.
While chairing series of meetings with regard to upcoming DDC polls at party headquarters here, the BJP senior functionary asked PDP, Chief, Mehbooba Mufti and NC patron, Dr Farooq Abdullah that if their parties were so concerned about the welfare of Gujjars and Bakerwals then why it took so long to grant ST status to these nomadic communities? He said that answer to this question is simple that both PDP and NC, which ruled the erstwhile State of J&K at different points of time, were never serious about mitigating problems of these communities rather they wanted to linger on the issue to satiate their vested political interests as long as possible.
“Isn’t it a fact that Gujjars and Bakerwals got ST status in 1991, after 41 years of implementation of Indian Constitution and that too when erstwhile State was under Governor’s administration and was not ruled by the elected Government? Why did the so called well wishers of these Nomadic communities were in deep slumber for over four decades and waited for Centre to take this decision? Do they have any justification?” Kavinder asked and added that this is simply the tip of an iceberg as harm done by these family centric parties to J&K and its people is gigantic and even a voluminous thesis will prove to be inadequate to mention the whole account of their misdeeds.
Kavinder further asked why it is so that despite NC and PDP reining the region for so long the STs were deprived of political reservation and jurisdiction of National Commission for ST wasn’t extended in J&K till the abrogation of Article 370. He said that no doubt PDP and NC leadership can misguide Gujjars and Bakerwals on different accounts under the guise of being their well wishers but the facts and figures are contrary to what is being highlighted and are more than enough to expose the deceit and deception of these bogus ‘Messiahs’ of ST community.