Srinagar, Nov 11: The Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary on Monday said that he was proud to move the resolution for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status during the first Assembly session of the Union Territory.
Speaking to the media, Choudhary said that the resolution reflects the desires of the people of J&K who seek protection for their land and jobs.
“I am proud to have moved the resolution for the restoration of special status. It’s the wish of every person in J&K who wants protection for their land and jobs,” Choudhary said, adding, “While BJP leaders call me ‘Jaichand’, I want to ask the people of Jammu: Do you want this special status or not? The common people, including farmers, laborers, and businessmen, irrespective of their religion, demand it.”
Choudhary also said that the resolution is in line with promises made by Home Minister Amit Shah, who had assured the people of J&K that their land and jobs would be protected.
“We have a dozen states in India with special status. Chief Minister of Bihar also asked for the same, but the BJP mocked him. We will expose them because this resolution is in the best interest of our people,” he added.
Taking a dig at the BJP’s J&K leadership Choudhary accused them of taking directions from “outside” and being responsible for the J&K’s decline over the last decade.
“Instead of creating jobs for local youth, the BJP has given land and big contracts to outsiders, ignoring local industrialists. They boast about winning 29 seats in Jammu, but if the National Conference had contested all the seats, their fate would have been similar to their president (Ravinder Raina),” he said.
He said that National Conference would expose the BJP in the upcoming local bodies and panchayat elections.
He added that BJP failed to promote new tourist destinations in Jammu after the region was split into two Union Territories.
He also said that since the National Conference government took charge, they had already delivered on promises such as reversing the exam schedule in the winter zone and announcing age relaxation for the J&K Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) candidates.
He also said that the security situation in J&K speaks for itself. Not a day passes without innocent lives being lost, he said. National Conference remains committed to strengthening India’s unity and protecting the constitution, he added.
