Srinagar: The BJP on Thursday said the action taken against the beneficiaries of the now-scrapped Roshni scheme was not biased, asserting that there would be zero tolerance towards corruption in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said the leadership of the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have benefitted from the scheme during their rule in the erstwhile state.
“The action against those who benefited from Roshni scam is not biased. The investigation and action is taking place against all those who have benefitted from it and please do not link it with Jammu or Kashmir or Hindus and Muslims. Every penny will be taken back from those who have looted the people of J&K,” Hussain said.
He was responding to a question about the parties in the union territory crying political vendetta and saying that the action by the government was biased against the Muslims in the Valley while not much was being done in Jammu where the major portion of the government land has been converted into proprietary land under the scheme.
The BJP national spokesperson said there is not a single political party from Kashmir which has not benefited from the Roshni scheme.
Attacking NC president Farooq Abdullah over the issue, Hussain said his silence was his acknowledgement of benefitting from the scheme.
“Why is Farooq Abdullah silent on the issue of him and his family getting the land? He should say that he has not taken any land. Their silence is their acknowledgement. They say it is political vendetta. What is political vendetta in this? They must answer. Even their party office is a Roshni Act beneficiary,” he said.
The NC has clarified that neither Farooq Abdullah nor his son Omar Abdullah are beneficiaries of the Roshni Act that was passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Legislature in 2004.
Hussain further said there would be zero tolerance towards corruption in the union territory.
Asked about the PDP terming as political vendetta the arrest of its youth leader Waheed Parra ahead of the District Development Council (DDC) polls which he is contesting, Hussain said the election has no connection with the case.
“Is it written somewhere in the Indian Constitution that no case be registered against a thief if he steals anything when elections are going on? Does Election Commission stop the agencies from acting against those looting people or funding terrorism or have any link (in terror cases)?” he asked.
Hussain said the party was contesting the polls on the development plank, but the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) was shying away from talking about developmental issues.
“The DDC in the District Development Council means ‘D’ for Development, ‘D’ for dynasty-free politics and ‘C’ for corruption-free Jammu and Kashmir. We are fighting these polls on the plank of development and corruption-free J&K. But, the Gupkar gang is silent on the issue of development. They are not talking about development or dynasty politics or corruption,” he said. (With PTI inputs)
