NAGROTA JUNE 30:(KNS)  Saying that the Jammu Declaration is drawing overwhelming attention from wide spectrum of public opinion, cutting across political and religious lines, National Conference Provincial President Mr Devender Singh Rana today reiterated that the initiative would lead to better understanding of inter-regional and intra-religious aspirations and equal participation in decision making between the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“With decentralisation forming core of democracy, all regions and sub-regions crave for equal role in the governance with no one nurturing the feeling of subservience or discrimination”, Mr Rana said while interacting with the people during his visit to under-construction Geeta Bhawan at the historical temple at Kole Kandoli here this afternoon, adding that this being the high point of the declaration, suggestions are pouring in from the Jammu civil society, especially the intellegentia and the opinion makers.

Mr Rana said the declaration, based on the spirit of promoting inclusiveness and isolating divisive tendencies, will boost harmonious growth of the society and strengthen the singular entity of Jammu and Kashmir and thereby the country.

 He said that intra-regional and inter-region broad-based dialogue holds the key to building confidence among the people and eschewing the tendencies of mistrust, which is alien to the composite ethos of this part of the country. Need for such a proposition is all the more important to preserve and sustain the idea of India in general and the idea of J&K in particular, known for unity in diversity, he maintained.

 Mr Rana hoped the Jammu region will take a lead by rising above party politics and work towards achieving the cherished agenda of faster growth, equal share in jobs and equitable development of all the regions and the sub-regions, based on their priorities and aspirations. He asserted that the Jammu interest is sacrosanct for the people of the region, who want course correction in governance, making it inclusive, he added.

 “The Jammu Declaration does not represent or grant exclusivity or at least give me the ownership as it has to be peoples narrative emerging out of broader consensus”, Mr Rana said while expressing satisfaction over the proposal being received well by the people who he had written months ago. He said the suggestions coming in large numbers have encouraged him to carry forward the mission, at a time Jammu and Kashmir is at the crossroads of history and churning of a thought process evolving. Since the effort is bereft of politics all those from Jammu are enthusiastically coming forward with their support, he said, exuding the confidence that the idea will sprout as an agenda from Jammu for a united and inclusive Jammu and Kashmir.

 “This will be our humble contribution towards strengthening our great nation”, Mr Rana added.

 Those present on the occasion were Ch Rehmat Ali, BDC Nagrota, Pt. Rameshwar Dutt, Ravi Singh, Ravi Khajuria, Sanjay Kumar, Niab Sarpanch Nagrota, Joginder Lal, Amit Verma, Vicky, Rakesh Sharma, Ashok Thakur, Rakesh Thakur, Ashok Dubey, Bodh Raj Gupta, NP Banathia, Arun Sharma and others.(KNS)