Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 26: Maintaining that nothing short of complete withdrawal of property tax was acceptable to J&K people, former minister and senior National Conference leader Ajay Kumar Sadhotra wondered over the parallels being drawn by the Government between Jammu Kashmir and other States of the country in a bid to justify its ‘anti-people, illogical and authoritarian’ decision.
In a statement, he said the Government cannot compare J&K with other States in respect of the civic facilities, which are reduced to the extent of filth all over, especially during the past few years. Instead of upgrading these facilities, the people in the urban and semi-urban areas are being punished by way of paying taxes, he added and referred to the filth and garbage in the Jammu City– the most thronged pilgrim destination in north India.
“Irony of the non governance is that instead of going for the course correction those holding the constitutional position are mocking the people by provocative gestures like their purchasing capacities,” he said, hoping that bare minimum sensitivity would be shown by responsible people at the helm.
Sadhotra feared that the decision of imposing the Property Tax would be extended to the rural area once implemented in the urban pockets. The Government is testing the public response as well as patience by imposing unjust decisions on them, he said and cautioned the double engine Government against taking policy decisions in J&K, which remain the domain of the democratically elected dispensations.
“Denying democracy to people is hallmark of the BJP model of governance. This might have worked for some time but can’t work all the time keeping in view democratic ethos of the country,” he said and added that the National Conference will fight anti people measures democratically.
Sadhotra recalled the waiving of tax on the rental of the properties in Jammu and Kashmir during the NC Government, led by Dr Farooq Abdullah as Chief Minister between 1996 and 2002, saying this is how people’s Governments work in the larger public interest. Politically naive and insensitive BJP should learn lessons from the good governance and work for public welfare,” he said.
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