Excelsior Correspondent
KISHTWAR, Sept 15: BJP Rajya Sabha MP, Gulam Ali Khatana launched a scathing critique of the National Conference (NC) and Congress, accusing both political parties of systematically depriving Jammu and Kashmir’s Tribal communities of their Constitutional rights and fundamental amenities.
Speaking at the Kither Panchayat in the Inderwal constituency, Khatana, while campaigning for BJP candidate Haji Tariq Hussain Keen, condemned the NC-Congress alliance for their deliberate neglect of the Tribal population.
“These parties have actively conspired to deny basic amenities such as education, healthcare, electricity, drinking water, and roads to Tribal communities for decades,” Khatana declared, adding that despite Constitutional safeguards, these fundamental rights were consistently withheld from some of the most vulnerable sections of the population.
The BJP MP alleged that the NC-Congress regimes were responsible for not only ignoring the Tribal communities but also creating obstacles to their progress. “Instead of uplifting the Tribals, NC and Congress intentionally sidelined them. Developmental schemes aimed at improving their lives were either stunted or outright blocked under their leadership,” he stated, shedding light on the long-standing conspiracy to keep the Tribal population in the shadows of backwardness.
Contrasting the dismal past with the efforts of the current BJP Government, Khatana praised Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Home Minister, Amit Shah for their initiatives targeting marginalized groups. “The BJP Government has broken the shackles that bound the Tribal communities for decades. Under Modi’s leadership, welfare schemes have been implemented on the ground, finally reaching the people who were denied these benefits for so long,” Khatana said.
As the campaign for the BJP’s candidate, Haji Tariq Hussain Keen, gains momentum, Khatana’s sharp attack on the NC-Congress alliance has brought the plight of tribal communities back into the political spotlight, raising questions about the true motives behind the policies of past regimes in Jammu and Kashmir.