Shadow Correspondent
JAMMU, DEC,05
Asserting that call for December 7th Jammu Bandh had received overwhelming response from students and youth in particular, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman-JKNPP & former Minister today appealed the civil society to participate and support the Panthers Party’s imitative against the ‘authoritarian moves’ of the government. He said that demand for restoration of mobile internet though was being raised from various quarters but with different organizations holding separate rallies and protests over the issue. He said that joint effort needed to be made so as to awaken the government to the inconvenience and sufferings caused to the varied sections of society due to communication blockade. “Rather than indulging in a cacophony of voices, let’s all speak in one harmonious chorus as we are all fighting for the same cause” said Singh. He was addressing a press conference in Jammu today.
Accusing the government of imposing unfriendly and unwholesome decisions on the public, Mr. Singh said that installation of “Toll Plazas” in and around Jammu, transfer of registration powers from judicial officers, imposition of 9% token tax on new vehicles and soaring prices of staple vegetables, pulses and other essential commodities had sparked massive outrage with people desperately seeking an occasion to ventilate their grievances so as to aware the government about their sufferings. Added to these was the internet ban which had thrown normal life out of gear and jeopardized the academic pursuits of students in particular. Maintaining that the functioning of the erstwhile state including various private organizations and media houses besides others had came to a grinding halt, Harsh said that the business houses, banks and other commercial organizations in this era of digitalization had suffered immense losses worth hundreds and hundreds of crores due to government’s unwarranted move of internet gag. He said that online bookings, reservations, online shopping, student activities pertaining to filling up of forms, had been adversely impacted with huge sufferings caused to general masses. Besides, he added that the telecom companies had already charged several crores of rupees from lacs of subscribers as rent for using internet services for these days. He said that while PM Modi was propagating social media as a potent weapon of social change, his colleagues in J&K were a party to the obnoxious ban imposed on internet and social media. Flaying the highly reprobate decision of the govt., Mr. Singh said that it had conveyed a very misleading massage to the outside world about the security scenario in the state whose economy was largely dependent upon tourism and pilgrimage.
Mr. Singh further maintained that the communication blockade by the government in the form of internet ban and the use of brute force against those who questioned its illogical and queer policies amply demonstrated the authoritarian style of functioning of the present regime. He appealed the people at large to make the Bandh a success.
