Jammu, Mar 01: Apni Party on Friday took out a massive protest demonstration in Vijaypur town, demanding restoration of statehood and holding of Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Hundreds of people, businessmen, ex-PRIs, and prominent people and party leaders, who participated in the protest rally, were led by the Apni Party Provincial President, Jammu and former minister, S. Manjit Singh in the town.
The peaceful demonstration was taken out from the market area amid slogans for the restoration of the democratic system while the protesters were carrying banners in support of their demands, the party said.
“As the anger among the people has grown, and the Election Commission of India has yet to take a call on the holding of polls in J&K, the Apni Party held the protest to highlight the popular demands of the people who were deprived of their democratic rights and left to the mercy of inefficient and adamant bureaucracy,” the statement said.
Singh on the occasion said, “The nationalist people of Jammu and Kashmir have constantly been demanding holding of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir that has been snatched from the historic erstwhile state by downgrading it into two Union Territories.”
Accompanied by public representatives from various walks of life, he said the people have decided to come on the roads so that the government and the Election Commission of India “could wake up from the deep slumber” which has delayed the elections without citing reasons and played with the emotions of the people.
Manjit referred to the issues of the Displaced Persons/Refugees who have yet to be granted land rights on the Custodian land even as they have lived there for the last seven decades.
The pending demands of the DPs/Refugees should be accepted by granting them proprietary rights on the Custodian land, he said.
The Apni Party leader also demanded the release of the pending package amount i.e.Rs 25 lakhs for each DP/Refugee family in Jammu and Kashmir that was sanctioned by the then Government of India.
“Out of a total of Rs 25 lakhs, the Government of India has only released Rs 5.5 lakhs for the DPs/Refugees whereas the pending amount has not been released,” he said.
Singh also demanded an employment package and special recruitment for the border residents of the International Border as well as the Line of Control. “The youth of border areas should be recruited in the Indian Army, paramilitary and J&K Police in a special on-the-spot recruitment by the authorities so that they do not get indulged in anti-social activities or drug addiction that has destroyed families in the border belt,” he added.
Manjit said the farmers’ issues like waiving off the KCC loan, canal water up to the tail-end villages along the International Border, round the close electricity should be supplied to the farmers so that they can operate their water pumps to irrigate their fields.
