District Development Council members Wednesday suspended their two-day long protest against the Warrant of Precedence issued by the J&K administration, following an assurance from the Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha to redress their woes.
“We’ve not called off but only suspended our agitation following this positive intervention by the Lt. Governor. We’re thankful to the political leadership of BJP as well as other parties for understanding our concern and taking it up with the Lt. Governor. We’ve received a verbal communication through DDC Jammu chairperson Bharat Bhushan about the Lt Governor’s invite for a meeting on March 12. Nevertheless, if our demands are not met even after the meeting, we’ve decided to resign en masse,” said an independent DDC member Taranjeet Singh Tony joined by other DDC members, while addressing the media.
“Mr Bhushan told us that the Lt Governor has assured the BJP UT president Ravinder Raina that he (Sinha) would meet the protesting DDC members after his return to Jammu from the union capital on Friday,” Taranjeet Singh Tony said.
Earlier this morning, the DDC members from across J&K assembled at the Exhibition Ground near Press Club
of Jammu and protested against the Warrant of Precedence, which they claimed undermined their importance.
They demanded the withdrawal of Warrant of Precedence and review of honorarium fixed for them.
The government had to cancel a two-day workshop cum training programme at Convention Centre Jammu on March 9 following the decision of DDC members to boycott it in protest against the Warrant of Precedence.
They thanked all the political parties and their presidents in particular BJP UT president Ravinder Raina, NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah, Congress UT president G A Mir and Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari for supporting their cause.