Samba, 30-10-2020: Lambasting the BJP govt for opening the Jobs and lands of J&K to outsiders, Mr Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and Former Minister said that it was an insult to the vision of the legendary ruler of erstwhile state Maharaja Hari Singh.
Not only had the BJP regime dismantled the oldest Dogra state and demoted it as UT, but it had deprived its people of certain special privileges envisioned by the late Maharaja for the welfare of his subjects especially those pertaining to lands and Jobs, said Singh. He pointed out that the state subject law had been conceptualized by the late Maharaja as far back as in 1927 and operationalized in the entire state so as to provide protection to the lands and Jobs of the residents of J&K which had unfortunately been abolished by an unconcerned regime at the centre. While the new domicile law allowed entry into govt Jobs in J&K for those outsiders who had spent a certain period of time in J&K, the new land laws had opened the entire J&K properties for sale with no PRC or even domicile law needed for the purpose, rued Singh. He was addressing a huge public gathering in Samba town and Nud village of Samba constituency.
Reminding the BJP leadership of its loud sloganeering post Art 370 abrogation assuring protection of Jobs and lands of locals, Mr. Singh said that the gullible masses had been betrayed once again by the BJP. He said that promises to save the lands of Jobs of J&K people by enacting appropriate legislation on the subject had been repeatedly held out by not only the J&K BJP unit but the central leadership of the Party as well. While some BJP leaders assured enacting suitable law on the analogy of Himachal Pradesh to save the lands of people, others made tall pronouncements of providing constitutional safeguards in this context which all ended in smoke, lamented Singh. He said that even peoples demand to retain state subject laws conceived during Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule, after abrogating Art 370, was also dismissed summarily by an apathetic and autocratic regime at the centre.
Asserting that new lands laws would operate more harshly against the Dogra land, Mr. Harsh Dev said that outsiders would prefer Jammu over Kashmir for acquiring lands in view of persistent disturbances and security threats in the valley. The locals would not only be persuaded and seduced to part with their lands but the outsiders’ influx in Jammu would also pose a threat to the Dogra culture and identity. He squarely dismissed the argument advanced by some BJP leaders that it would lead to increased employment avenues due to industrialization. Has there been any restriction on outsiders to invest and to set up industries in J&K in the past? There are several outside corporate houses who have set up huge industries at various places including Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur and elsewhere but how much employment has been given to locals? There have been persistent protests against the said industrial houses at several places including Samba, Kathua etc who have brought skilled and even unskilled labourers from other states while giving a negligible share to local youth who too are often retrenched at the sweet will of these industrial magnates.
Mr. Yash Paul Kundal while seeking an employment package for the unemployed youth sought the revival of state subject law. He said that the Panthers Party had supported the abrogation of Art 370 on the belief that justice would be ensured to both regions of J&K with the end of all bias against Jammu region. But unfortunately, that did not happen as the discrimination continues unabated even after state’s re-organization resulting in massive public resentment in the Jammu region, observed Kundal.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Shiv Charan, Rajeshwar Singh, Surinder Chouhan, Mrs. Rajni Sambyal, Sardar Singh, Mohinder Singh, Arun Khajuria, Mrs Indu Jamwal, Vikram Singh besides others.