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| Will BJP set up AIIMS in Jammu? | | Feeling the heat | |
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 29: The April 24th very successful bandh across Jammu province has, it seems, rattled the local BJP leadership. It was the first ever bandh organized by the people of this region against the BJP and the most striking aspect was the support the VHP, the Bajrang Dal and ABVP extended to the bandh call, which embarrassed the BJP in general and BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal singh in particular. Nirmal Singh had last Friday declared that no one could "snatch AIIMS from Kashmir" and was contradicted the next day by his party colleague and MoS in the PMO Jitendra Singh. Jitendra Singh had taken a jibe at Nirmal Singh and said at Kathua in so many words that the "AIIMS was always meant for Jammu".
The contradictory stand taken by two senior party leaders, one J&K Deputy chief Minister and the other MOS in the PMO, has created a piquant situation for the party with the critics of BJP dismissing it as a party of contradictions and accusing the party of "cheating" the people of Jammu who returned 25 BJP candidates to the Assembly.
That the April 24th bandh has rattled the local BJP leadership and made it realize that it has become very unpopular in Jammu province after it entered into a coalition with a Kashmiri party could be seen from the fact that the state BJP president, who is also Member of Lok Sabha, J&K prabhari and MP, another BJP Rajya Sabha MP, MoS in the PMO, who represents Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha constituency, and five BJP MLAs from Jammu district on Tuesday sat together in Delhi to review the prevailing situation in Jammu province arising out of the response the bandh call evoked and chalk out a future course of action to remain relevant in the region. Besides, they met with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and urged him to consider the demand in Jammu for the establishment of AIIMS in Jammu.
The delegation reportedly "informed the Union Minister that the interests of Jammu people, who have suffered a lot due to regional imbalances in last 67 years, especially in health sector, shouldn't be compromised this time" and that "Jammu is the fittest case for establishing the AIIMS as it has no such premier institute of medical science". Interestingly, the delegation also demanded a probe to know "who was responsible for sabotaging the proposal of AIIMS which was sanctioned for Jammu region during the Vajpayee led Government and the announcement of which was made by then Union Minister Sushma Swaraj". Arun Jaitley, according to the delegation, told that its demand would be "considered". In other words, he didn't say that it will be conceded.
The critics of the BJP has described the meeting between the BJP delegation and the Union Finance Minister, who on 28th February announced AIIMS for Jammu, as a "ploy" aimed at "misleading and hoodwinking" the people of Jammu province and asserted that the "BJP is playing a dubious game". "The BJP-led NDA Government, which has turned out to be Kashmir-centric and minority appeaser, will not concede the demand unless it is forced to do so," they said, adding that "we will not sleep over the issue and intensify our struggle using all available means and methods".
The battle lines are clearly drawn between the BJP and all others in Jammu and it will be seen who finally succeeds in winning over its estranged people. |
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