Vijaypur: Hinting at “the possibility of forming next government” in J&K, Apni Party president Syed Altaf Bukhari on Monday claimed that the BJP would not be able to cross double digit in Jammu in ensuing assembly polls.
“As far as BJP is concerned, I think they (BJP) will not be able to cross double digit in Jammu. Who will vote for them?” Altaf Bukhari questioned, while responding to media queries on the sidelines of a public rally in Vijaypur in Samba.
“They have been ruling J&K for the last 4 years. How can they face people? What have they done for the people of Jammu? As far as the Apni Party is concerned, we’re open for government formation,” he said.
Earlier while addressing the public rally, he launched a direct attack on BJP for, what he alleged, “playing with the future of people in Jammu and Kashmir by misleading them.”
He also stated that his party would restore Darbar move practice and would not “allow loot of natural resources of J&K by the outsiders from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.”
Altaf Bukhari said that the 200 year old State was reduced into a Union Territory and then it was divided i.e., Ladakh and J&K creating a perception among the people that the scrapping of Art 370 and Art 35A was important to allow development in J&K.
“In last four years, we have not seen any development. Instead, the mining and wine mafia from UP and Bihar have taken over the natural resources and started unchecked loot under the nose of the present government which is doing nothing,” he said, expressing anger over the growing unemployment, underdevelopment and poor health care facilities at the village level.
He alleged that the people of Jammu were “in great distress because of BJP which misled them when they revoked the special status on August 5, 2019 claiming that flood gates of development and employment would open thereafter.”
“Do you find any development or employment?” he asked the gathering of people. “Suddenly the Darbar Move practice was also stopped by the government which was against the economic interests of Jammu business men. The business of Jammu was hit badly and the coordinal relations between the two regions were also affected with this decision,” he said.
“However, if the Apni Party comes to power, we will restore the Darbar Move practice in the interest of the two regions, their people and the business community; he said and criticised the BJP for its role in creating division in the society.
With regard to the restoration of statehood to J&K, he said that his party’s “struggle for the restoration of Statehood to J&K would continue.”
He said that it was the fault of the people who trusted the BJP which misled them with its hollow slogans. “Now it has snatched every right of the people including resources and land which need to be protected at all costs by the Apni Party,” he said.
Altaf Bukhari said that National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party in Kashmir and BJP and Congress Party in Jammu misled the people to “continue their rotational rule in J&K but did nothing for the people.”
“After the abrogation of Article 370, the people are facing multiple issues and there is a need to have an elected government,” he said.
“We have to fight like people in Punjab where they changed the traditional political parties and made a choice for a better future. Therefore, the people of J&K should also support the Apni Party for equitable development and employment,” he said.
He also assured, “If we come to power, we will revamp health care facilities at village level, round the clock electricity (500 units free in summers in Jammu and 300 units in winter seasons and in Kashmir 500 units free electricity during winters and in summers the people in Kashmir will get 300 units of free electricity), better education system in government schools in comparison to private schools, increase health insurance from Rs 5 lakhs up to Rs 10 lakhs, extend beneficiaries schemes to the women and overall development in J&K with protection to jobs and land for the locals only.”
Questioning the “snatching of land” from the people in Jammu’s different districts including Samba and Kathua, he said that it was not right to evict people from the land which they cultivated for decades.
“We will not allow harassment of the people in J&K. The Apni Party will fight it back and restore the rights of the people on such lands which belong to them for a long time,” he said.
He said, “Similarly Forest Rights Act is implemented in the country as well as in J&K but their rights are allegedly not being extended to the beneficiaries and instead people are being harassed for one reason or the other.”
He also appealed to the Jatt Community to get united and support the provincial president of Apni Party in Jammu Manjit Singh in the upcoming assembly polls. “Why reservation is not being given to the 27 percent Jatt community in J&K. The border villages, which deserved reservation, were ignored and non-deserving villages were included as border villages which was an injustice,” he shared his concern. He also expressed concern over the poor health care facility in Vijaypur and also extended support to the CISF and BSF aspirants, saying that their demands should be accepted by the government.
He also criticized authorities for their inability to keep the Jammu-Srinagar highway operational.