Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 23: Accusing the BJP led Govt of toeing the line of their predecessors in perpetuating bias against Jammu region, the NPP activists led by party chairman Harsh Dev Singh staged a protest at Press Club in Jammu today.
The protestors raised slogans of “Jammu Prant Ke Saath Insaaf Karo, Insaaf Karo”, “Jammu Khite ko Barabar Ka Darza Do”, “Jammu Sube ke Saath Bhed-Bhav Nahin Sahenge, Nahin Sahenge”, “BJP Sarkar, Hai Hai”.
Speaking on the occasion, Harsh Dev called for equitable treatment to both regions of J&K with end of all bias against the Dogra land. He said that a written statement by APM under the chairmanship of PM Modi must guarantee equal opportunities in jobs, equal number of Assembly seats, equitable allocation of grants, parity in distribution of funds for various sectors including power, tourism, health besides other centrally sponsored and public welfare schemes.
Singh said that bias against Jammu region had multiplied manifold under BJP rule and especially after re-organization of the state of J&K. “Only last year post Art 370 abrogation, the educated unemployed youth of Jammu region were subjected to the most hostile discrimination in public services. The select list of firemen and drivers issued last year had only around 70 candidates from Jammu region as against 620 candidates from Kashmir region. Likewise all the Assistant Professors selected in clinical pathology last year belonged to Kashmir region with not a single post falling in the share of Jammu region. Similarly, all 76 posts of work supervisors in R&B (PWD) advertized last year were categorically assigned to Kashmir region with Jammu region having been completely neglected. And while the J&K govt terminated the services of around 1500 Health professionals engaged under SRO-24 in Medical Colleges of Kathua, Rajouri and Doda, it allowed their Kashmir counterparts engaged under the same SRO to continue in service.
Seeking parity in Assembly seats, Singh said that APM must assure equal number of seats for the two regions of Jammu and Kashmir through the on-going process of delimitation.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Rajesh Padgotra, Gagan Pratap Singh, Khajoor Singh, Rajeshwar Sambyal and others.
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