J K News Today
Srinagar, March 23:
The ruling PDP legislators and other party leaders have told Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti not to succumb to the pressure of the ally BJP that is asking for the revocation of the minutes of the meeting in which the guidelines for the tribal policy were laid out by the government.
PDP leaders, it is learnt through reliable sources, have told Chief Minister that any such step would erode the credibility of the party in the eyes of the tribes, Gujjars and Bakerwals and also undermine the government’s authority. Besides conferring unrestricted movement and stay in the forests to these tribes, the proposed policy bars the authorities taking any action against the state land encroached by the tribesmen .Most of them are settled in Jammu’s plains and encroached huge chunks of land . The PP has made it a public policy to save the tribes from any step aimed at their eviction .
BJP ministers had raised the issue of the revocation of the minutes of the meeting of the proposed tribal policy at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday– March 20 – but they were told that this is not going to be implemented. Chief Minister had told the Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh that “ they ( BJP) should trust her word.”
But on Wednesday ,s he was told by PDP ministers, legislators and other leaders that any step to revoke the policy would amount to conceding political ground to National Conference and handing over victory to Hindu fundamentalists .
Chief Minister, it is learnt, will take up the issue with the Central leadership and apprise them of her difficulties in rolling back of the tribal policy.
