Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 14: Continuing his week-long mass contact programme undertaken in Jammu province, BJP Member of Parliament & J&K Prabhari, Avinash Rai Khanna, along with State president Jugal Kishore Sharma, Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary Constituency Incharge Yudhvir Sethi, Sunderbani district. Prabhari Chander Mohan Gupta, senior leaders and Presidents of SC and Mahila Morcha reached Nowshera today and addressed a large public gathering there.
Addressing the public meeting Mr Khanna said that it is unfortunate that the people living away from capital cities are still deprived of basic amenities of life viz. education, health care, road connectivity, drinking water etc. He said that large population of refugees reside in different areas of Jammu province scattered from Kathua to Nowshera and leading a miserable life which is a bolt on democracy.
He said that the successive State Governments have been discriminating with them and misleading them on the false promises of working for their welfare and development. He said that these hapless people are deprived of rights enjoyed by citizens in other parts of country. Even their children cannot avail the facilities of getting education in State Government’s educational and professional institutions, he added.
Mr Khanna said J&K is the only State in India where such a treatment is meted to its own people. He assured that party will struggle for their upliftment and fight out the discrimination they have been subjected to.
Jugal Kishore Sharma, in his address, said that there is widespread resentment among the people against the NC-Congress Coalition Government as it has failed to keep the high promises made during last election and instead has promoted corruption, nepotism, discrimination and neglect of the entire population, more particularly of refugees, farmers, weaker sections and educated unemployed youth.
He said that high claims of strengthening the democracy at grass roots level are being made but the ground realities indicate that the Panchayats are still deprived of powers, elections to Urban Local Bodies are being avoided on one or the other pretext and the people agitating for their genuine demands are brutally suppressed.
Ashok Kaul, while focusing on the importance well knit organizational setup of the party, said that the Party activists have to devote more time in the coming days to make to strength the party to ensure its victory at hustings during coming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Chander Mohan Gupta, Sat Sharma (C.A), Yudhvir Sethi, Capt. Ramesh Lal, Sushil Sudan, Chaman Lal Kanathia, Gian Chand, Priya Sethi, Surinder Bhagat, Karan Singh and Neena Gupta also addressed the gathering.
Earlier at Sunderbani Avinash Rai Khanna and Jugal Kishore Sharma also inaugurated Party’s office in presence of a large number of party activists and supporters.