JK News Today
JAMMU DECEMBER 30: National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana on Saturday lashed out at BJP, saying it came to power in partnership with equally opportunistic PDP on false promises and assurances but now their lies stand exposed.
“BJP raised Jammu’s expectations to crescendo by playing exploitive politics but at end of the day the people realized its hollowness, opportunism and self-goals”, Rana said while winding up his two-day extensive tour of the Nagrota Assembly Constituency. He held a series of interactive sessions at Tanda in Jagti and Patti Mohalla in Sidhra besides Aithem and Nika Panjua in the constituency.
Escalating his attack, he said Jammu has a reason to ask elected BJP representatives to showcase their achievements in the past three years. The people would like to know the corrective measures the BJP representatives took to end their much trumpeted slogan of discrimination. In fact, he said, the region is feeling hugely neglected in every sphere—be it employment, development and other spheres of economic activity. He said the BJP has trampled peoples’ trust and their mandate, as it has proved that other than satiating personal aspirations and ambitions of a chosen few, it can’t deliver, which is why Jammu is feeling politically and emotionally let down.
In this context, the Provincial President raised the recent issue of National Green Tribunal directions on the conduct of Shri Amarnathji and Shri Mata Vaishno Deviji’s yatras and questioned the BJP’s silence, asking had it been in the opposition the scenario would have been quite different. He mocked at the BJP’s duplicity in finding ‘religion in danger’ while in the opposition and behaving like ostrich when in power. “This is BJP style of politics that knows divide and rule”, he said and cautioned that its leaders can fool the people once but not always. He said the politically sagacious people of Jammu won’t allow religious sentiments of any section of society to get hurt by illogical directives and its economy impacted, which is essentially dependent upon pilgrim tourism.
Rana said naivety of the BJP in governance has taken toll of institutions, which stand weakened due to lack of political direction. The coalition partners are working at cross purposes with Jammuities finding themselves at the receiving end, as their chosen representatives don’t see anything beyond self. He said the political mood in the region is quite explosive that may erupt in a volcano if the public interest is taken for granted. The BJP is committing a huge mistake of testing the patience of people, he said, adding that Jammu will give the party a befitting reply at appropriate time for its betrayal.
Referring to ensuing Panchayat elections, the Provincial President lamented that instead of empowering people at grass roots level, the coalition dispensation has muzzled democratic spirit by amending the time-tested Panchayat Raj Act to thrust Sarpanchs. This is a vicious game-plan aimed at weakening the third tier of democracy that speaks of centralized mind-set of the PDP-BJP combination.
“While National Conference believes in people as real fountain of power and decentralization of authority, the PDP-BJP wants to centralize the entire administrative mechanism”, Rana said adding that this is being done to facilitate their masters in New Delhi to run the state administration through remote control.
During the visit prominent political activists, including Chairman Mangal Singh, Chuni Lal, Prabhu Singh, Bansi Singh, Khajoor Singh, Balwant Singh, Chanchal Singh, Anchal Singh, Sham Singh, Sain Singh, Ravi Singh, Mohinder Singh, Jahdev Singh, Liaqat Ali, Slam Din and others joined National Conference.
Greeting the new entrants into National Conference fold, Rana said their joining will further strengthen the party at grass-roots level.