Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Jan 19: Pahari community suffered greatly due to division during Partition which made them vulnerable to poverty and unemployment and still the community is facing a never ending trial of abject poverty, economic and social backwardness.
NC, Congress and PDP promised various perks to them in form of reservation and other aids but none were conveyed.
However BJP is committed to brought an end to the plight of Pahari community and fulfil their expectations in the form of 3 per cent reservation which was passed by BJP-PDP coalition and is pending on the table of Governor, said senior BJP leader and MLC Vibodh Gupta while addressing a press conference here today.
He said reservation will benefit the deprived Pahari people of Rajouri, Poonch, Uri, Karna and other hilly areas of J&K who always remained nationalist to the nation. He cited the example of Uri which largely constitute of Pahari population and said that Uri has always isolated itself from the activities of Hurriyat and remained loyal to the mainstream India.
Gupta further said that the BJP State unit has also pressed the demand of ST status to the Pahari community and is making real efforts to make this dream of Pahari community a reality.
MLC said plight of Pahari people and demand for reservation has been raised by him at several occasions. “Whether we were in opposition or in Government the demand for reservation to Paharis was in my priority list and as MLC, I enthusiastically took up the issue and struggled for the aspirations of Pahari people”, he added.
He strongly asserted that the Kashmir-centric political parties PDP, Congress and NC always played with their feelings and used them for vote bank politics but the top-most leaders of BJP considered it an issue of justice to the ignored class.
MLC said that Pahari people are living in the remote and backward areas with lesser facilities and reservation to them will bring equity and unprecedented development.
BJP District President Dinesh Sharma also advocated the demand of reservation to Pahari people and said that BJP is committed to work for the ignored and deprived sections of society.
Ex-District President and MC Rajouri Vice-Chairman Bharat Bushan Vaid, Atam Gupta, Ranjeet Tara, Ashwani Koccher, Mohammad Azeem and Zahid Ahmed were also present.
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