Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Oct 01
The Jat Sabha of Jammu and Kashmir today got new President as the former president Ch. Piara Singh call it a day after serving the community for more than three decades.
While addressing a press conference here today the former legislator from Gandhi Nagar assembly segment and President of All J&K Jat Sabha offered his resignation voluntarily after serving the community for more than three decades.
Addressing the media persons in the presence of prominent personalities of Jat Sabha Ch. Piara Singh said that he has served the community for more than three decades with utmost dedication and tried his best for the upliftment of the biradari. Citing his health issues Ch. Piara said that he is quitting from the post of the President and announced S. Manjit Singh (former minister) as new President of All J&K Jat Sabha.
While speaking on the occasion Ch. Piara Singh laid stress on the inclusion of Jat community into the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and urged upon the Governor Satya Pal Malik to address this genuine demand of the Jats.
Ch. Piara Singh further said that the government has announced special recruitment for the border youth but at the same time it has declared all residing within the limit of 10 kms of border as border dwellers which is grave injustice to the actual beneficiaries. He said those residing within 5 kms are actual victims of border skirmishes and government should review its decision to reduce the distance from 10 to 5 kms.
“There is no representation of any Jat member in the Public Service Commission (PSC) since it came into existence”, Ch. Piara Singh added and strongly advocated for representation of at least one Jat member into PSC.
While highlighting the demands of the Jat community Ch. Piara Singh said that land of many Jat families residing near border is under mines since long and they have not been ever paid any compensation. He said as this land was the only source of their income they have been forced to starve and demanded immediate release of compensation for them.
While welcoming the government decision to release Rs 5.50 lakh in favour of refugees Ch. Piara Singh said that the government should release one time compensation of Rs 25 lakh per family. He said that there are many families who were forced to migrate to other places during Kargil war which are now been treated as refugees but they are not given any benefits of being refugee. He demanded all benefits for them at par with other refugees of the State.
S. Manjit Singh while speaking on the occasion expressed his gratitude to the Jat community for posing faith in him and said that he will work dedicatedly for the upliftment of the biradari.
S. Manjit Singh on being appointed as President urged upon the outgoing president Ch. Piara Singh to continue his service towards the Jat community as Chief Patron and also urged upon S. Trilok Singh Bajwa to serve as Patron of Jat Sabha.
He said that it was the dedication and hard work of Ch. Piara Singh during his long tenure of more than 30 years as President of the community that Jats today have a status in the society. S. Manjit Singh said that the contribution of Ch. Piara Singh towards upliftment of the biradari will be remembered by the Jats in the future and vowed to follow his footsteps to raise the genuine demands of the community at appropriate forums.
Other dignitaries present during the press brief include Ex MP S.Tirlok Singh Bajwa, Ch. Garu Ram, Choudhary Sham Lal (all ex ministers) Ch. Vikram Randhawa and Surinder Choudhary (both MLCs), Taranjit Singh Tony and Vikas Choudhary.
