Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Apr 17: Senior BJP leader and former Forest Minister, Ch. Lal Singh who resigned from Cabinet recently along with his another ministerial colleague Chander Parkash Ganga today led a rally from Jammu to Kathua in support of CBI probe into the Rassana murder and kidnapping case of a minor girl and demanded resignation of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for her failure to address the issue.
The former Forest Minister said the Chief Minister had failed to understand the popular sentiment and was yet to seek a CBI probe into the brutal incident.
“It is her (Mehbooba Mufti’s) biggest failure. If she has wisdom and conscience, she should resign”, Singh told reporters.
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“If two ministers can sacrifice their posts in the interest of peace, those who are actually responsible for creating such an atmosphere should listen to their conscience,” he said targeting the PDP leader.
Singh also said that he would press for CBI probe into the incident.
Asked about his decision to resign from the State Government, Singh blamed the media for “creating a perception”, thus forcing him to take such a step.
“We resigned because the perception created by the national media was not good. It portrayed the situation in a wrong way, which was not the case at all. It was portrayed that the entire Jammu region was siding with rapists,” he claimed.
There was no need to resign had the media not created such a perception, the BJP leader said.
“It (the perception) created problems for our Prime Minister and country. It was not good. So, we preferred to resign. We have not done anything wrong,” Singh added.
Talking to media at Kathua later Singh said that in probing the murder and rape case the Jammu officials were ignored and officers from Kashmir who were so called criminals and whose image was dented brought for probe. “They are furthering the agenda of Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani”, he added.
He said this is for the first time in history when accused are demanding Narco test. “But our Government and Chief Minister, who is holding the department did not bother for it. There is question mark on Government that the resignation should not have been sought from us but from those who are holding the department, he added.
In response to a question of participating in public rally at Koota, he said “it is our right being the public representatives to participate in the rally and listen the grievances of people”. “Instead of appreciating it as we tried to pacify the people who had come to streets and migrated from the village which could have created a law and order problem they made us scapegoats,” he added.
Lal Singh said “the public representatives are for welfare of people and nation and there is nothing more than that. “Our first priority is nation and people, then party and third is self”. For the sake of nation and welfare of its people we can sacrifice many ministries but will not let down our people”, he added.
Strongly advocating for CBI probe, he said “we need nothing except the same as there was a big conspiracy to disturb the communal harmony in Jammu which we will not allow”.
He without naming any body or party said they perished Kashmir and now they were eyeing Jammu which we will not allow to happen at any cost.
He said “we will continue struggle till the CBI probe is held and what is harm in it if PMO also supports the same”, he added.
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