Shadow Correspondent
JAMMU, July 6:
Seeking equitable treatment to both the regions of J&K in the matter of allocation of Assembly seats without any prejudice or favour to any region, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman-JKNPP and former Minister expressed the hope that the much delayed Delimitation would pave the way for end of all regional bias perpetuated against Jammu region in the past. He said that Delimitation was to be conducted as per the Re-organization Act of 2019 passed in both Houses of Parliament under the BJP led govt at the centre. The said Act had increased the number of Assembly seats in J&K from 107 to 114 with 24 seats to be kept reserved for the J&K territory under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. The said Parliament Act categorically provides for election on 90 seats only which are to be delimited by the Delimitation Commission Constituted for the purpose on the basis of prescribed criteria laid down under the law. He however regretted that some motor mouthed dunder heads of BJP were still trying to cheat the gullible masses of Jammu by saying that they would persuade the Delimitation Commission to defreeze ?rd of seats reserved for POJK for migrants of the said territory residing in this part of J&K, deliriously oblivious of the norms, procedures and jurisdiction of Delimitation Commission. He was addressing a press conference in Jammu today.
Pointing towards the statement of BJP’s senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, appearing in the media yesterday, that Delimitation Commission would be requested by BJP delegation to release 35% of the POJK reserved seats for the migrants from that region, Mr. Singh said that deceptive politics and intellectual bankruptcy of the so called ‘champions of Jammu cause’ had once again come to fore. The BJP leadership needed to understand that the Delimitation Commission does not have the mandate to increase the seats as specified in the law passed by the parliament and nor can it defreeze the reserved seats. It’s role is confined only to the delimitation and re-adjustment of territorial boundaries of the 90 Assembly constituencies as envisaged under the Act and the norms governing delimitation. What could be expected of the Party whose leadership is completely ignorant of the procedure and principles and even unaware of their role as the representatives of a highly deprived and incarcerated region whose championing they had loudly professed, asserted Mr. Singh.
Mr. Singh regretted that the issues of Jammu region which ought to have been raised during APM under the Chairmanship of PM were never raised. The central BJP leadership was never approached by these self styled champions of Jammu to issue amendment in J&K Re-organization for de-freezing ?rd of POJK seats or even for holding delimitation on 2021 census. While they chose to flatter the central BJP leadership and sing songs in praise of Modi and Shah during APM meet, it never occurred to them to raise Jammu specific matters. And now they were trying to befool Jammu masses and trying to sell dreams to the gullible people of dogra land, rued Mr. Singh.
Seeking a balanced and equitable treatment to both regions in allotment of Assembly seats, Mr. Singh said that there was still a scope for enhancement of such seats for Jammu region as per the criteria laid down in sec 60 of J&K Re-organization Act. The said section categorically provides that, apart from population, the other considerations governing delimitation would include “physical features, facilities of communication and convenience to the public”.
Mr. Gagan Pratap Singh (State Secretary-JKNPP), Mr. Surinder Chouhan (District President Jammu Rural of JKNPP) and Mr. Gurdeep Singh (Youth Secretary Jammu Rural) were also present in the press conference.
