Srinagar: National Conference on Monday called J&K government’s review petition on Roshni scheme a U-turn aimed to save its own face.
“After realizing that the major beneficiaries of the scheme were from BJP, RSS from Jammu, BJP wants a silent backtrack on its vitriol on Roshni scheme,” NC spokesperson said in a statement here.
He said far from harvesting anything with the propaganda on Roshni scheme, “BJP seems to have found itself in deep water while putting the incumbent J&K government in a spot over filing the review petition in the High Court seeking key changes in the act.
“The cause of the abrupt change of opinion of the government on the spur of the moment is due to the presence of BJP leaders and its associates in the list of beneficiaries. The move, it goes without saying, is being carried by ruling BJP to prevent itself from self-infliction as it is apparently affecting the big-fishes within BJP, RSS’s rank and file. Abandoning the idea by hiding behind the fig leaf of ensuring that poor are not at the receiving end due to the scrapping of the act seems to be the only way for BJP to save itself from embarrassment both locally, nationally as well as globally,” NC statement said.
It said the “entire scheme of so-called ‘surgical strike’ was primarily to disenfranchise a particular community but the statistics which have surfaced have sent the BJP, RSS into a tizzy.
“Tensed up by the imminent drubbing in the ongoing elections in Jammu region, the BJP has chosen to duck out from the situation to evade questions in the face of such a radical change of mind,” NC said.
“We have been cautioning people against the propaganda in the time of DDC elections by BJP. Now that the BJP has found itself caught on the wrong foot, it has chosen to backtrack on the issue. On our part we have been saying that the act was primarily enacted in the 2000s and subsequently amended by various successive governments to help the poor, landless and downtrodden from the quandary of homelessness,” NC said.
Roshni Scheme was not framed in isolation, it espoused a large good for people, who had been suffering on account of the poverty, joblessness induced by years of conflict, it said. “However, the BJP, RSS and its plaint stooges and minions had called it ‘strike of land jihad’, ‘surgical strike’. Fortunately their false narrative has died its own death, after BJP has found itself in quicksand,” NC said.
It said that distracting people from real issues, indulging in character assassination and mudslinging is the only way BJP could hide itself from ever having to answer direct questions on the bad state of affairs in J&K.
“Having failed on all the plots, BJP, its ilk had chosen to attack PAGD leaders. Falsehood it is rightly said has no legs, this time it stands proven again. As far as our party goes, we earnestly believe that the move of filing a review petition should have been done by the incumbent government to protect the vital interests of the public without playing politics over it,” NC statement said.
“We hope that the honorable High Court takes a compassionate call on the issue which protects the vital interests of the people of the state by taking a call that ensures J&K economy including infrastructure, housing and other vital aspects are not disturbed,” the statement said.
