Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 6: Apni Party Provincial president Jammu and former minister Manjit Singh today accused all the traditional political parties including BJP, Congress, PDP and NC for neglecting the OBC community in Jammu and Kashmir by denying them 27 percent reservation.
Addressing a joining programme at the Party office in Gandhi Nagar area, the former Minister said, “All the traditional political parties ruled J&K one by one but they hardly did anything for the upliftment or enhancement of reservation up to 27% in J&K. On the other hand, the BJP which claimed to be the champion of Jammu also forgot the OBC people after getting their votes in the 2014 assembly elections in J&K.”
“The OBC people casted their votes in favour of BJP hoping that their long pending demands would be accepted. However, it did not happen. Later the same BJP claimed that Art 370 was a stumbling block in the way of development of J&K and for enhancing reservation to OBC up to 27%. With similar other excuses, they revoked the special status and also downgraded the historic state into a union territory,” he said.
He further said that “After fulfilling its hidden agenda, the BJP again failed to come up to the expectation of the people belonging to the OBC community. For decades, these people were deprived of their right to reservation i.e., 27 % in J&K.”
“The BJP has used the OBC community as a vote bank and then abandoned them. As the elections are approaching, they have started assuring them promises which they will again not fulfill. However, Apni Party is committed to work for the upliftment, political reservation and enhancement of overall reservation of OBC to 27 % in J&K,” he added.
Meanwhile, OBC State Coordinator Madan Lal Chalotra also highlighted various problems being faced by OBC people and demanded that they should be provided political reservation in J&K.