Jammu, May 1: National Conference (NC) president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah Monday took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leaders for excluding Jammu from the itinerary of G20 meetings which, though, were scheduled in Kashmir and Ladakh.
He was responding to media queries on the sidelines of May Day function at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan here in Jammu.
Throwing a prickly poser at BJP, NC president asked if Jammu was not important and alleged that they (BJP leaders) had taken Jammu for granted. “This is unfortunate that in Ladakh and Kashmir, G20 meetings can be organised. But no meeting has been scheduled in Jammu. It was tragic that no Jammu leader, even those raising “Jammu, Jammu or Dogra-Dogra” slogans did not flag this issue," he alleged.
In response to a question about the public notice issued by J&K Housing Board seeking applications from migrants for flats under PM Awas Yojana (Urban), the NC president objected to the “settlement of people from outside” by linking it with ‘threat to Dogra identity.’
“This has proven our apprehensions about change in demographic character. This way Jammu and Dogras will lose their identity, which was preserved by Maharaja Hari Singh by bringing state subject law in 1927 for land and job protection. BJP leaders' silence is irksome,” he said.
