Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 17: The National Conference (NC) and BJP legislators today entered into heated verbal duel in the Legislative Assembly (LA) over allegations of “discrimination with the Jammu region”.
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While the BJP MLA Pawan Gupta claimed the ruling dispensation has been perpetuating its traditional designs of discrimination with the Jammu province by doling out limited finances and identifying lesser number of beneficiaries for most Government schemes compared to the Kashmir region, the ruling party legislators, including Ajaz Jan, Abdul Majid Larmi, Dr Shafi Wani and Nazir Ahmed Khan said that NC was lesser to blame as the party has taken over the rein of affairs only 5 months back.
They said the BJP legislator should ask this question to his own party and the LG administration as they were in the power for the last 10 years in the UT.
During discussions on discussions on the grants of Information and Technology, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, ARI & Trainings, Transport, Youth Services & Sports, and Science and Technology Departments, Pawan Gupta, MLA Udhampur West, asked why the J&K Assembly should vote for the passage of grants when the UT Government has been making huge profits out of the ration purchased from the Centre at a lower price and sold at a higher price under the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the region.
Citing example, he said the UT has been purchasing wheat at the price of Rs 6.10 per kg from the Centre and selling the same under PDS at the rate of Rs 12 per kg. Similarly, he said, rice is being procured at the price of Rs 8.30 per kg and sold at the price of Rs 15 per kg.
He also blamed the Government for not specifying in the grants how much money the Government has collected from the consumers and where this money has gone.
“You are only fooling this House,” Gupta said.
He even threw an open challenge on the bureaucrats to debate with him the budget, claiming, he will tear apart their false claims and manipulations.
Gupta also blamed the bureaucrats and the NC Government of discriminating with the people of Jammu region openly.
Citing examples, he said, while 88,282 rations cards were issued by the Government under the AAY scheme in Jammu region, it issued almost double ration cards (1, 45, 219) in the Kashmir region under the AAY scheme.
He also blamed the Government of manipulating the data about the souls in the Kashmir region under the AAY scheme as he claimed that it has been shown in the grants that Jammu has 2, 42, 214 souls against 5, 97, 449 souls.
“These differences in the number of souls are not possible practically,” he claimed.
Similarly, he said, under PHH category, 5, 40, 421 ration cards were issued in the Jammu province against 7, 63, 032 issued in Kashmir region with 21, 53, 598 souls benefiting under the scheme in Jammu region against 31, 38, 210 in the Kashmir province.
Under the NPHH category, the BJP MLA said 3, 36, 823 ration cards were issued in Jammu province as against 4, 13, 708 ration cards issued in Kashmir province with 12, 86, 439 souls benefiting in the Jammu region against 16, 33, 000 souls benefiting in the Kashmir province.
He cited similar other figures to validate his point, claiming, “I throw an open challenge on the treasury benches and the bureaucrats to counter me with the facts to prove me false or else issue clarifications on the discrepancies,”
He, however, was objected by NC MLAs Ajaz Jan, Abdul Majid Larmi, Dr Shafi Wani, and Nazir Ahmed Khan, who claimed that the BJP legislator’s figures are not correct.
Some of them even blamed Gupta of dividing two regions by using the biased figures.
“You’re trying to divide the people of Kashmir and Jammu. We won’t let this happen,” Abdul Majid Larmi said.
The NC MLAs even raised slogans like “Awaz Do Hum Ek Hain.”
Nazir Ahmed Khan, the NC MLA from Gurez, who is popularly known as Nazir Gurezi, even asked the BJP legislator to introspect, as he claimed that it was BJP in the power either through the LG rule or the PDP-BJP Government for the last 10 years.
“We have taken over only 5 months back. You should ask these questions to your own party and the Government,” insisted Gurezi.
Meanwhile, during discussion on the grants, the NC MLA Javed Mirchal demanded that the beneficiaries in Karnah be provided ration offline as there are network issues in his constituency.
NC legislator Javed Iqbal demanded rationalisation of fair price shops, maintaining a proper check on the use of insecticides and pesticides on the PDS ration supply, while Abdul Majid Larmi demanded that there should be a ration shop for 300 souls.
Independent legislator Muzzaffar Iqbal Khan demanded proper transport facility for Shahdra Sharif shrine and playgrounds in his constituency and MLA Arjun Singh Raju demanded additional ration centres.
Congress MLA Irfan Hafiz Lone demanded promotion of sports to channelize the energy of the youth away from drugs.
While MLA Irshad Kar demanded gym facility for MLAs, Bharat Bhushan sough bifurcation of the ration cards and rationalisation of ration centres.
MLA Khursheed Sheikh demanded ban on fantasy sports and digital gaming and Dr Sajjad Shafi demanded an immediate call on the pending promotions in the JAKEDA.
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