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| 'Arrogant' J&K BJP leaders failed to win hearts of West Pak refugees | | Refugees express gratitude towards Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for liberating them from 73-year old slavery they are annoyed with the local leadership of BJP for not fielding even a single refugee as candidate for vacant Panchayat seats or for DDCs constituency. | | Early Times Report
jammu, Dec 6: Although West Pakistani Refugees (WPRs) have first time exercised their right to franchise in the local bodies elections, the J&K unit of BJP failed to take credit of this historic opportunity.
These refugees have already expressed their gratitude towards central leadership of BJP especially Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for liberating them from 73-year old slavery they are annoyed with the local leadership of BJP for not fielding even a single West Pakistani Refugee as candidate for vacant Panchayat seats or for District Development Councils (DDCs) constituency.
Sources said that leaders of WPRs had approached the local BJP leadership and asked them to give party mandate to at-least one refugee for DDCs elections but the 'arrogant' local leaders refused to accept this proposal. WPRs leaders had told BJP that nominating refugees as a party candidate for local body elections would send a very positive signal among refugees living in different areas of Jammu province.
In Jammu province elections for vacant posts of Sarpanches and Panches is also going to be held in eight-phased DDCs elections. WPRs leaders had urged BJP to field some refugees for these vacant posts but the same proposal was also rejected by the local leadership.
Sources said that after getting cold-shoulder response from the 'arrogant' J&K leadership of BJP, WPRs have fielded their own candidates on some vacant posts of Panchayats in areas where these refugees have good strength. These refugee candidates are contesting elections as independents.
As reported earlier, first time after 1947 West Pak refugees cast votes in local bodies elections. Due to Article 35-A, these refugees were debarred from casting votes in local bodies and Assembly elections.
West Pakistan refugees are settled mainly in border areas of Jammu and were not considered as permanent citizens. As per official data 5,764 Hindu and Sikh families popularly known as West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) entered India in 1947 and settled down in various parts of Jammu. Presently, the number of West Pakistan refugees has increased to over 20,000 families or 4 lakh persons. |
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