Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 13: National Conference has condemned the lathicharge on agitating Rehbar-e-Taleem teachers and described the act as unwarranted and brazen administrative highhandedness.
“Instead of tackling the issue by ensuring timely salaries to the agitating teachers, the administration is resorting to force to quell peaceful demonstrations”, senior party leaders said in a joint statement here this afternoon.
While expressing concern over utilization of funds allocated under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan on capital component instead of paying the salaries to ReTs, they cautioned the administration to desist from converting Jammu and Kashmir into a police state.
Anguished over use of force, the National Conference leaders called for engaging the striking Rehbar-e-Taleem teachers in dialogue to find out via media to their problems.
“So long the Government has been mute spectator to the woes of different segments of society and when it comes to solving their problems, the administrative arrogance manifests in brutal force against the peaceful agitators”, they said while hoping the aggrieved teachers will maintain calm while highlighting their problems.
Signatories to the joint statement included provincial president Devender Singh Rana, State vice presidents Rattan Lal Gupta, Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari and Th Kashmira Singh beside former ministers and legislators, Babu Ram Pal, Abdul Gani Malik, Ajaz Jan, Brij Mohan Sharma, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Satpal Lakhotra, Bimla Luthra, Dr Chaman Lal, Anil Dhar and others.