Jammu: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Thursday said the BJP which called Independent MLA Satish Sharma “Satish Abdullah” is now “shedding crocodile tears” over his removal from the cabinet in a recent reshuffle.
Countering the BJP’s charge that the National Conference government had neglected Hindu leaders from the Jammu division, Choudhary alleged that the BJP had attempted to politically damage him and Sharma and had even branded them as “Jaichands” — traitors — in the past.
“I feel sad that Satish Sharma is no longer part of our cabinet. He was my colleague in the government until yesterday. But I am surprised to see the BJP shedding crocodile tears over his removal when the same party used to call Satish Sharma ‘Satish Abdullah’ and me ‘Surinder Abdullah’,” Choudhary told reporters during a visit to a market in railway station area which was damaged in a recent fire incident.
“If the BJP had such objections to us, why is it expressing concern now over Satish Sharma’s removal? The BJP in Jammu tried to get both Satish Sharma and Surinder Choudhary dropped,” he alleged.
Choudhary thanked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah for retaining him in the cabinet and continuing to repose faith in him as deputy chief minister.
“The National Conference gave Jammu honour and respect by appointing a Hindu leader as deputy chief minister. After the chief minister, the deputy CM holds the second-highest position in the government,” he said.
Referring to BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi’s allegation that the NC had become a “Muslim Conference”, Choudhary questioned the BJP’s claims of secularism and inclusive governance.
“The BJP talks about ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. I want to ask the party whether it has appointed even one Muslim as a minister, CM or deputy CM in the governments it runs across the country or in the central government” he said.
He challenged the BJP to explain why it was questioning the National Conference’s credentials on representation when the party had elected Hindu representatives from Jammu and appointed him deputy CM.
Choudhary also asserted that his Jat background did not make him any less Hindu or Dogra.
“Is Surinder Choudhary not a Hindu? Is a Jat not a Hindu? If I am not a Hindu, then the BJP should explain which communities it considers Hindu and which castes it recognises as part of Sanatan Dharma,” he said.
“I am a devotee of Mata Vaishno Devi and a believer in Mata Durga. Whatever position I have reached today, I believe it is because of their blessings. The remarks made yesterday have hurt me because questions were raised against the entire Jat community,” he said.
Choudhary also invoked the historical association of the Jat community with Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule, saying members of the Jat community had also served during that period.
He questioned the BJP’s position on Dogra identity, arguing that the party had repeatedly claimed that Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians in Jammu could all be Dogras.
“If every person in Jammu, irrespective of religion, can be called a Dogra, then why is a Jat leader being questioned about his Hindu and Dogra identity?” he asked.
The deputy CM also expressed disappointment with BJP spokesperson Sunil Sethi referring to his family association with former legislator Krishan Dev Sethi, whom Choudhary said he had admired and learnt from during his formative years.
He further challenged the BJP to substantiate its allegations of corruption against him and asked the party to explain the sources of wealth of its own leaders.
“If the BJP has the courage, let it name the leaders who accumulated wealth after 2014, established stone crushers and factories, acquired vehicles and machinery, or opened big malls. Before pointing fingers at others, the BJP should look into its own affairs,” he said.
Accusing the BJP of damaging Jammu, Choudhary also questioned its response to the fire at Shiv Market, where several shops were gutted, and said the focus should remain on the suffering of affected traders.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expanded his council of ministers on Tuesday with the induction of four new faces from the Kashmir valley, triggering internal party discontent and protests, even as the opposition BJP hit out at the ruling alliance over “regional and cultural imbalance”.
With all four inductees hailing from Kashmir, the expansion has shifted the balance of the cabinet in the two-year-old government heavily towards the valley. Seven ministers in the now nine-member council hail from Kashmir, while Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary and Javaid Rana remain the only two representatives from the Jammu region.
Independent MLA from Chhamb, Satish Sharma, was dropped from the cabinet to accommodate the new inductees.
