J&K BJP spokesperson Dr Abhijeet Singh Jasrotia on Friday accused the National Conference (NC) of working against the interests of Jammu and asked all NC leaders from the (Jammu) region to resign enmasse from their party to “prove their loyalty to the region.”
“Silence in the face of repeated insults to Jammu amounts to complicity. If NC leaders from Jammu region have even an iota of self-respect and commitment towards Jammu and the nation, they must immediately resign from the National Conference. I call upon them to resign enmasse from the party to demonstrate their loyalty to Jammu and the nation rather than remaining silent spectators to repeated insults against the region,” he said.
Jasrotia, while addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu, alleged that the NC and Congress had been “systematically neglecting the Jammu region since 1947 and degrading its history, identity and nationalist spirit.”
J&K BJP Media Incharge Dr Pardeep Mahotra, senior leader Varinderjit Singh, SC Morcha president Dharminder Kumar, and ST Morcha leader Ali Mohammad accompanied Jasrotia in the presser.
He expressed anguish over, what he termed as, “repeated attempts by NC leaders to demean the people of Jammu. Referring to a recent statement by a senior NC leader from Reasi, he said the remarks had deeply hurt the sentiments of every resident of Jammu, including Rajouri, Poonch, Bani, Banihal and other border and hilly areas.
Jasrotia asserted that Dogra identity represented people from every religion and community, united under the visionary leadership of Maharaja Hari Singh, who ensured justice, equal opportunities and social harmony across Jammu and Kashmir.
He regretted that despite holding a public programme at Maharaja Hari Singh Park, the National Conference failed to pay tribute to the last ruling Maharaja, exposing its disregard for the historic contributions of the great ruler.
“It is because of the vision of Maharaja that we are able to breathe in free air and are not standing in long queues to beg for even basic amenities. The statement by a senior NC leader from Rajouri that questions the patriotism of Jammu’s people reflects the separatist mindset of the National Conference,” he said.
Jasrotia alleged that the two parties jointly discriminated against Jammu for decades by denying it equitable political representation, development and employment opportunities. He recalled how Pandit Prem Nath Dogra fought relentlessly against, what he said, “regional discrimination.”
“Dogra raised the issue of less Assembly seats to Jammu despite more population before the then national leadership, but he was humiliated and Jammu’s genuine concerns were ignored. Successive NC governments deliberately weakened Jammu’s political voice and ensured that the region remained deprived of its rightful share in governance and development,” Jasrotia alleged.
He stated that while significant developmental momentum was witnessed after 2019 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the progress again slowed under the present NC-led government.
“Maharaja Hari Singh was a visionary social reformer who opened education and opportunities equally for all communities and initiated landmark reforms benefiting Scheduled Castes and other marginalized sections. In contrast, the NC-Congress governments pursued policies that kept SCs, STs and other weaker sections deprived of their constitutional rights,” he alleged. Referring to the 1996 General Administration Department provisions, he alleged that these governments institutionalised discrimination despite receiving electoral support from those communities.
He said that Jammu always served as the nation’s strongest shield against terrorism and made immense sacrifices to safeguard India’s unity and integrity.
“While Kashmir possesses abundant natural resources, Jammu developed its industrial base through the hard work of its people, but successive NC governments failed to protect and deliberately ditched the promotion of these industries,” Jasrotia alleged.
Dharminder Kumar said that the NC and Congress governments repeatedly denied justice to Scheduled Castes and weaker sections whenever they came to power. He described Maharaja Hari Singh as a great social reformer who abolished discriminatory practices and expanded educational and worship rights for marginalised communities.
Ali Mohammad accused the NC and Congress of exploiting tribal and marginalised communities for vote-bank politics while denying them their legitimate rights. He praised Maharaja Hari Singh for treating every community with equality and appealed to people across all sections of society to unite against what he termed decades of injustice and discrimination inflicted upon Jammu by the NC and Congress.
