STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Police on Thursday foiled the protest march organised by J and K National Panthers Party (JKNPP) towards Parliament House demanding restoration of AIIMS to Jammu.
Over 500 activists of Panthers Party led by Chairman JKNPP Harsh Dev Singh State President, Balwant Singh Mankotia and State President Young Panthers, Yash Pal Kundal held a massive protest near the Parliament wherein the procession was stopped by a heavy contingent of Delhi Police.
Addressing the gathering, Harsh said that it was not merely a matter of AIIMS for Jammu but the longer question of the self respect and pride of Jammu people. He said that it was highly distressing that Jammu people were always treated as B- Class citizens as against highly pampered and mollycoddled Kashmir region.
Lambasting the BJP for its demagoguery and unprincipled politics, Singh said that by gifting AIIMS to Kashmir, the BJP had indulged in the most treacherous bargain only to play a second fiddle to the PDP Government. Singh said that people of Jammu would no longer reconcile to their second class catagorisation by a highly biased and prejudiced Kashmir centric leadership. He said that the JKNPP had decided to take the fight for Jammu to every nook and corner of the state besides agitating the persistent neglect of the region infront of the Parliament in New Delhi.
Lambasting the BJP for submitting to the whims of its coalition partner on the issue of AIIMS, Singh said the saffron party had completely disillusioned the people of Jammu region and earned their wrath for succumbing on all the issues with the public outrage having reached its crescendo. He said that announcement for establishment of AIIMS at Jammu was made by two Union Ministers on 28th February, 2015 at New Delhi and therefore BJP’s offering it to PDP on a platter merely for the crumbs of power was the biggest betrayal with the people of Jammu region. Warning the BJP to desist from its lame duck posturing, Singh said that JKNPP would not relent till AIIMS was restored to Jammu.
Balwant Singh Mankotia, State President vowed to continue the protests against the shameless surrender of the BJP on the issue of AIIMS. He said that Kashmir already has one SKIMS in Soura which offers specialised treatment facilities with Chief Minister already having announced additional Rs.150 crore for its up-gradation. “Jammu region continued to be ignored and deprived in the BJP partnered government and despite the tall claims and loud pronouncements being made by the saffron party merely to hoodwink the people of Jammu region”, he added.
Mankotia also sought early creation of infrastructure and operationalisation of medical colleges in Kathua, Doda and Rajouri besides establishment of a new medical college at Udhampur.
Yashpal Kundal while demanding AIIMS for Jammu further called for holding an early delimitation of Assembly constituencies to ensure equitable share to all the regions of the state on political as well as economic basis.
Rajiv Jolly Khosla assured full support of Delhi Unit of Panthers Party in resolving the issues of J and K and in ensuring justice to Jammu region including its socio-political empowerment.
Others who addressed the gathering include Shyam Gorkha, Gagan Pratap Singh, Neeraj Gupta, Anil Rakwal, Dhani Ram Atri, Vishav Dev Singh, Dharam Singh Bittu, Rajesh Sharma, Karnail Singh Ved Parkash, Baldev Singh, Devi Das, Kuldip Singh, Mohan Lal Gupta, Balbir Singh Happy, Ajay Singh, Rajesh Kamal, Arun Dev Singh, Surjit Singh, Rashmi Dutt and Jagdish Raj.
