STATE TIMES NEWS
KHOON: Ridiculing the slogans of “development”, “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” and “Achhe Din” given by Central and J&K Govt over the last six years, Harsh Dev Singh, JKNPP Chairman and former Minister expressed grave concern over the pathetic plight of the people. He said that during his tour of various villages all across Jammu region and Udhampur in particular in the ongoing DDC elections, he discovered that the poor, indigent, deprived people were left at the mercy of God by the government. While poor became poorer, the rich became richer, he rued. He was addressing huge public meetings at Mansar, Majalta, Deot and Nakki villages of DDC Majalta and Khoon constituencies along with Dina Nath ex-MLA.
Addressing the gatherings, Harsh doubted the intention of the BJP Govt behind the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in J&K. He cautioned the administration to evict the big fish having usurped State and Forest lands worth millions and trillions before laying their hands upon the poor and the landless. He strongly condemned the selective eviction of poor, landless people besides bulldozing of the ‘Rehris’ and ‘Pharis’ being operated by poor people to earn their two square meals a day. While several top politicians including the Ex-Ministers, MLAs, MPs of the Saffron party having encroached huge tracts of Govt land remained untouched, the poor and the wretched were harassed and persecuted, Harsh maintained. “Are such people above law or does the administration have two sets of laws running in J&K, one for rich and the other for poor?”, questioned Singh. Accusing BJP govt of looting common masses amid Corona pandemic, Harsh lambasted the government for dishonoring the aspirations of various segments of society. He said that with over one year of communication blockade in the form of 4G denial to the common masses, it had operated harshly against the interests of students, youth, traders and the common man. “Even the educated unemployed youth were not getting their domicile certificates due to poor connectivity. The rural youth are the worst sufferers who have been facing problems while submitting on line applications for jobs”, said Harsh. Regretting that inflation had become a hallmark of BJP’s governance, Singh rued that Saffron government had been levying exorbitant excise duty and other hefty taxes from the people. He said that with the petrol and diesel becoming dearer, the price rise of domestic cylinders had also added to the woes of the end consumers. He further pointed out that prices of almost all the essential commodities including the staple vegetables, edible oils, dairy products had also crossed all time high to break the back of a common man. “While the oil companies and the telecom companies besides others are making huge profits, the poor and the indigents are looted, plundered and crushed under the Saffron rule. The BJP is pro-rich and anti-poor”, Harsh slammed BJP. Alleging deprivation and neglect of rural populace and farmers by the BJP regime, Dina Nath said that the new farm bills passed by the parliament of late had triggered nation-wide protests. Urging the people to overthrow the failed leadership and support NPP in the ongoing elections, he said that people had paid a very heavy price for voting these opportunist leaders who worked solely for their own loaves and fishes. These leaders only amassed wealth and worked for their own personal enrichment at the cost of public, said Dina Nath.