Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Saturday expressed hope that the Centre would fulfill its commitments on restoration of statehood and said the chief minister had raised this and several other issues during his recent meeting with the Union home minister.
“Whenever Omar (Abdullah) Sahib goes to Delhi, whether he meets the home minister, the prime minister or any other Union minister, he discusses all the development-related issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir,” Choudhary said, talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
The deputy chief minister said that during the chief minister’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, issues, including restoration of statehood, rationalisation of reservations, finalisation of business rules and the upcoming first international film festival in Srinagar, were discussed.
“We hope that following Omar’s meeting, the home minister will fulfill the promise he has made in Parliament, the promise made before the Supreme Court and the promise made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, referring to the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“By not fulfilling this promise, the BJP is not merely betraying the people of Jammu and Kashmir; it is also betraying Parliament and the judiciary,” he said.
On the strike by MBBS interns protesting over the alleged disparity in their monthly stipend since August 31, Choudhary said the government was considering the matter comprehensively.
“If it were just one issue, we would have announced it here and moved on. But we are looking at the matter in its entirety because these are our doctors, and they are treating our people. After God, if anyone is given the second-highest place, it is doctors,” he said.
On the September 2 anti-government protest by BJP in Srinagar, the deputy chief minister termed it “drama” staged by the opposition party at Lal Chowk and claimed it was meant to divert public attention from issues confronting the people of Jammu. He challenged the opposition party to answer questions over representation of local officers, academics and professionals in key positions in the Union territory.
“Lal Chowk in Srinagar is a historic symbol of democracy, and the BJP leadership had gone there merely to shed crocodile tears and fool the people,” he said, accusing the BJP of “blindfolding” the people of Jammu by diverting attention from their problems.
“Jammu is suffering from within. There is pain in the hearts of the people. Whether it is transporters, hoteliers, industrialists or unemployed youth, everyone is troubled,” he said.
He challenged the BJP leadership to address these concerns at Jammu’s own ‘Ghanta Ghar’ at Shalimar Road instead of holding protests at Lal Chowk.
“Why don’t you go there and, standing under the statue of Maharaja Sahib, answer the people of Jammu?” he asked.
The deputy chief minister also questioned the appointment of senior officers from Jammu and Kashmir to important positions outside the Union territory while local officers, according to him, were not being given similar opportunities.
“If officers from Jammu and Kashmir can be appointed as DGs in other states or in Ladakh, why can’t officers from Jammu and Kashmir be appointed as DGs here?” he asked, adding that several local IPS officers were capable of holding such positions.
He also raised questions over appointments in universities and other premier institutions, asking why “sons of the soil” from Jammu could not be considered for positions such as directors and vice-chancellors.
Choudhary said the issue was also about the aspirations of young professionals and employees.
“Look at the records. Our officers are being sent from Jammu and Kashmir to different parts of the country, to different states and Union territories. But why can’t our own officers be appointed here? Why can’t they be appointed as deputy commissioners here? Is this not discrimination?” he asked.
