JK News Today
New Delhi, April 27:
President All India Jat Maha Sabha (AIJMS) and former Mayor, Ch Manmohan Singh today met Rakesh Tikait, National Spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union and Ch Yudhvir Singh, General Secretary of Bharatiya Kissan Union and AIJMS and apprised both of the leaders about the burning issues of displaced Jat community members as well as farmers living in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory.
The issues were raised during a meeting held in the National Capital here today.
In the meeting, Ch Manmohan Singh apprised both the farmer leaders that some agricultural land chunks of Jat community are under fencing due to which they are unable to cultivate the same and are also denied compensation for the last so many years. Besides this, the displace persons are facing severe hardships as they have not got the ownership rights of custodian land chunks allotted to them after their migration in Jammu region. As some of their land has come under national highway and ring road projects but they were not awarded suitable compensation.
Rakesh Tikait, National Spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union, after giving a patient hearing to Ch Manmohan Singh, said that the Union leaders deliberated upon on a very serious issue pertaining to the members of the Jat Community especially the farmers among them living in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory. He said that it is really an irony that these people who had migrated from Pakistan in 1947, 1965 and 1971 after leaving everything behind to save their lives are being discriminated here till date. He said that these people are not provided any compensation for the land acquired by the Government for various projects including the ring roads or circular roads as they have not been granted ownership rights despite holding the land for over seventy years.
Tikait said that the farmers among this community are the worst sufferers as the lost their farming land in fencing by the Indian Army thus being unable to pursue their main occupation and even for that they have not been provided any compensation. Moreover they had to pursue farming along border areas amid tough conditions thus adversely affecting their income.
The farmer leader informed that the resolution passed during the meeting decided to take up this serious issue with the Union Government very soon. He said that the matter had been taken up with the government earlier too but could not be pursued further due to Corona pandemic and the prolonged agitation against Farmers’ Bills.
The National Spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union also informed that the resolution passed today has authorized Ch Manmohan Singh to interact with the farmers community there in Jammu on this issue as well as their other burning issues commence preparations for holding a Maha Panchayat there on the issue for which the team of Kissan leaders led by them will visit Jammu to get this issue of serious concern resolved at the earliest.
Ch Yudhvir Singh, General Secretary of Bharatiya Kissan Union and AIJMS said that the Jat community mostly comprising farmers in 1947 migrated from Pakistan to Jammu after which they were allotted land in J&K sans ownership rights. However it is gross injustice with them as they do not get any compensation for their land acquired for public purposes. He said the government is taking the plea that this land/property is Custodian property of those who migrated from here to Pakistan and therefore ownership rights can’t be granted to them.
Yudhvir said that those who went to Pakistan encroached the Jat/farmers lands and properties and have been granted the ownership rights too by their government but our farmers and Jatt community members continue to suffer on this count. He said that this injustice is intolerable and the Bharatiya Kisan Union shall leave no stone unturned in getting justice for the Jatt/Farmers community who have suffered a lot for the past over seventy years.
Ch Manmohan Singh expressed gratitude to Rakesh Tikait and Ch Yudhvir Singh for taking up the cause seriously and showing strong determination in getting the issue resolved.
