Jammu: Accusing the National Conference and the Congress of depriving OBCs over the past seven decades, Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina on Sunday said the Modi government is going to grant them their legitimate rights very soon.
In a dig at the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an alliance of several mainstream parties of the union territory, he said its recently released white paper has no takers and the alliance stands exposed before the public.
“The National Conference and the Congress mostly ruled J&K over the past seven decades and always used OBCs as their vote banks without caring for their rights… I assure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are granting the legitimate rights to OBCs very soon,” Raina said.
Addressing a rally organised by the BJP’s OBC unit in front of the party headquarters here, he said the time has gone of various communities being deprived of their rights on the pretext of the special status guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution.
“They (PAGD) have recently released a white paper but it did not mention anything about not granting rights of OBCs, Gujjars, Bakerwals, Paharis, Gaddis, Sippis, West Pakistan Refugees, Pakistan-occupied J&K residents, Valmiki Samaj, Gorkhas, Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and the women during the many decades of their rule,” Raina said.
Last month, the PAGD released a white paper titled ‘The Betrayal’ on Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of its special status, and said a canard was created by the BJP about misgovernance in the erstwhile J&K state to justify the reading down of Article 370.
The alliance had asked the Centre to go for a dispassionate appraisal of its decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, claiming that such an exercise would lead to the realisation of the gross violation of the Constitution and the betrayal of the people.
“Article 370 is gone and people are happy over it. There are no takers for the white paper (of the PAGD) as they stand exposed before the public,” he said, adding, “It does not matter if the paper is white, black, blue or pink, nobody is going to be misled by them anymore.”
Raina said the BJP is the only party which cares for all communities, irrespective of their religion, caste, creed or region.
“Every section of the society, whether a Hindu or a Muslim, is equal for us,” he added.
