 Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 31: Peeved over the loss of status of State of J&K and its conversion/demotion as a Union Territory, a huge contingent of JKNPP activists led by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman JKNPP & former Education Minister and Mr. Yashpaul Kundal State President Young Panthers & Ex-MLA held a massive protest demonstration at Exhibition ground in Jammu today. Describing the decision of transition of State to UT as authoritarian and perverse, the protestors raised the slogans of "Tanashahi nahin chalegi, nahin chalegi, "Hitler Raj nahin chalega nahi chalega", "Lt. Governor go back, go back" and "State ka darja bahal karo, bahal karo"etc.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh described October 31 as a 'Black Day' in the history of State when around 200 year old Dogra State was dismantled and converted into Two Union Territories. He said the govt. move amounted to a cruel joke with the people of the State besides it having dishonoured the pious decision of Maharaja Hari Sigh, the great Dogra ruler of the erstwhile State.
"A State that was governed and ruled by Maharaja, Prime Ministers, Sadar-e-Riyasat and the like had now been contemptuously entrusted to the charge of Lt. Governor holding the position of a Secretary in the Govt. of India. The destiny of the people of the State would henceforth be shaped by a junior bureaucrat in the centre belonging to Gujrat cadre. Does this not amount to demeaning and diminishing the people of erstwhile Dogra State who have the most chequered history of patriotism, valour and sacrifices?," questioned Singh, adding that demotion of State had invariably hurt the self respect and dignity of each and every individual of J&K.
Terming the NDA Govt. decision as unprecedented, Mr. Singh said that never before in the history of the country had any state been converted into Union Territory. The step was as retrograde as totalitarian and the only motive of the central govt. in doing so was to demonstrate its authority and power even if it be at the cost of public outrage.
He said that if the people were shying away from ventilating their anger against the dictatorial move of the govt. it was only due to fear psychosis and terror tactics of Saffron party. But BJP has surely penned down its obituary by taking such a sinister move, observed Singh.
Prominent among those who were present on the occasion included Rajesh Padgotra, Shanker Singh Chib, Gagan Pratap Singh, Parshotam Parihar, Surinder Chouhan, Sham Gorka, Partap Singh, Rampaul Sharma, Nirmal Kishore, Rohit Sharma, Mohinder Singh, Udeyveer, Naresh Verma besides others. |
