Addressing a public rally in Vijaypur, Altaf Bukhari said that the 200 year old State was reduced into a Union Territory and then it was divided i.e., Ladakh and J&K creating a perception among the people that the scrapping of Art 370 and Art 35A was important to allow development in J&K.

 

“In last four years, we have not seen any development. Instead, the mining and wine mafia from UP and Bihar have taken over the natural resources and started unchecked loot under the nose of the present Govt which is doing nothing,” he said, expressing anger over the growing unemployment, underdevelopment and poor health care facilities at the village level.

 

He said that “We will not allow these outsiders in J&K. The resources of J&K belong to the people of the erstwhile State and if we come to power, we will throw them out of Lakhanpur. He called upon the people of Samba and Kathua to become vigilant and not allow such people who take over the rights of the locals in employment, resources and other sectors.”

 

The people of Jammu are in great distress because of BJP which misled them when they revoked the special status on August 05, 2019 pretending that flood gates of development and employment will open thereafter.

 

“Do you find any development or employment?” he asked the gathering of people who responded with big no when he criticized the negative role of BJP for misleading the people. Suddenly the Darbar Move practice was also stopped by the Govt which was against the economic interests of Jammu business men. I want to ask a question to the business community in Jammu who support BJP whether the decision was in their favour. No, it was not in their favour as the business of Jammu was hit badly and the coordinal relations between the two regions were also affected with this decision, he said.

 

“However, if the Apni Party comes to power, we will restore the Darbar Move practice in favour of the two Regions, their people, and the business community; he said and condemned the BJP for its role in creating division in the society.

 

With regard to the restoration of statehood to J&K, he said that “their struggle for the restoration of Statehood to J&K will continue.”

 

He said that it was the fault of the people who trusted the BJP which has misled due to hollow slogans and now it has snatched every right of the people including resources, and land which needs to be protected at all costs by the Apni Party.

 

He said that National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party in Kashmir and BJP and Congress Party in Jammu have misled the people to continue their rotational rule in J&K but did nothing for the people.

 

“I want to ask those people who did injustice with J&K on August 5, 2019 – the day we consider as black day for all of us that their perception has failed that Art 370 was the stumbling block in the development. However, after its revocation, the people are facing multiple issues and there is a need to have an elected Govt. It seems that until an elected Govt comes to power, the present form of Govt will loot the resources using the outsiders,” he said.

 

He questioned those who celebrated the abrogation of special status and said that the time has come when people have to stand up like Punjab and fight back to throw the mafia out of J&K.

 

“We have to fight like people in Punjab where they changed the traditional political parties and made a choice for a better future. Therefore, the people of J&K should also support the Apni Party for equitable development and employment,” he said.

 

He also assured that his Party if comes to power will revamp health care facilities at village level, round the clock electricity (500 units free in summers in Jammu and 300 units in winter seasons and in Kashmir 500 units free electricity during winters and in summers the people in Kashmir will get 300 units of free electricity), better education system in Govt schools in comparison to private schools, increase health insurance from Rs 5 lakhs up to Rs 10 lakhs, extend beneficiaries schemes to the women and overall development in J&K with protection to jobs and land for the locals only.

 

Questioning the snatching of land from the people in Jammu’s different districts including Samba and Kathua, he said that it was not the right of the Govt to evict people from the land which they cultivated for decades.

 

“We will not allow harassment of the people in J&K. The Apni Party will fight it back and restore the rights of the people on such lands which belong to them for a long time,” he said.

 

He said that “Similarly Forest Rights Act is implemented in the country as well as in J&K but their rights are allegedly not being extended to the beneficiaries and instead people are being harassed for one reason or the other.”

 

He also appealed to the Jatt Community to get united and support Sardar Manjit Singh, who is the Provincial President of Apni Party in Jammu in the upcoming assembly polls.

 

“The Jatt Community should stand behind their leader so that their demands can be fulfilled,” he said and expressed concern over why reservation is not being given up to 27 % in J&K to the Jatt Community.

 

He said that the border villages which deserved reservation were ignored and non-deserving villages were included as border villages which is an injustice.

 

He also expressed concern over the poor health care facility in Vijaypur and grilled the authorities for their silence over the issue.

 

He also extended support to the CISF and BSF aspirants and said that their demands should be accepted by the Govt. “These youth want to protect the country because the Govt has ignored these youth,” he said. (KNS)