Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 4: The leaders and workers of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (NPP) held demonstration here today against BJP leadership for ignoring Jammu centric issues.
Annoyed over BJP’s complete failure to espouse Jammu centric matters, a contingent of NPP activists led by chairman of the party Harshdev Singh and assisted by Balwant Singh Mankotia State president, along with other leaders assembled at Exhibition Ground near Press Club and staged a protest demonstration here today.
The angry protestors were raising slogans and issues related to Jammu region. Harshdev Singh called upon the Coalition Govt, particularly the BJP to ensure resolution of the burning issues of Jammu region in the current Assembly session including roll back of service tax on Helicopter services to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji shrine, issuance of Dogra certificate to Dogra youth, implementation of law and High Court orders on beef ban and apprehending the culprits violating the said law, reinstatement of Govt. lawyers sacked for defending beef ban, removal of apprehensions on Jammu AIIMS , announcement of Smart City for Jammu, introduction of Amendment Bill for delimitation of Assembly constituencies etc.
Taking a dig on the BJP for its political incompetence in the Coalition Govt., Harshdev said that SRO 297 dated Sep 2 issued by the Finance Department imposing Service Tax on helicopter services availed by the pilgrims to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji shrine had deeply hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus all over the world. He said that the State Govt had bypassed the authority of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board headed by Governor of the State by interfering in the highly sensitive religious issue and imposing tax on the religious pilgrimage similar to the ‘Jazia’ imposed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
While demanding the revocation of the aforesaid order, Mr Singh cautioned the BJP to break its sinister silence over the issue and sought its justification over the subsidy and other amenities provided to Haj pilgrims on one hand and introduction of new taxation for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims on the other.
Mr Mankotia, Bansi Lal Sharma, Rajesh Padgotra, Manju Singh and others also spoke on the occasion.
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