Shadow Correpondent
Jammu, May 13:
While underlining the import of decision taken by JK Bank IkkJutt Jammu today congratulated the people of Jammu for the determined manner in which they tore into the recruitment policy being pursued by the Kashmir controlled and biased Jammu & Kashmir Bank.
Chairman IkkJutt Jammu Ankur Sharma, Advocate said that it was because of the pressure of the aggrieved and discriminated Jammu youth that the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir had to intervene and force J&K Bank management to withdraw its invidious recruitment criteria for the post of Probationary officers.
“That J&K Bank will adopt 42.5 per cent cut off for Kashmir and 63% for Jammu was a classic example of apartheid against Jammu. Chairman of J&K Bank must be sacked forthwith. It is a matter of shame that not one political party did anything meaningful to express solidarity with the protesting meritorious candidates from Jammu province, said Chairman IkkJutt Jammu.
“It is because of Article 370 and Article 35A that the Kashmir controlled administrative apparatus has been able and gets emboldened to perpetrate apartheid on the otherwise very meritorious Jammu youth every now and then. Abolish Article 370 and 35A and give preference to merit and you will see that 90% of the jobs will go to Jammu,” said Ankur Sharma, adding that time has finally come to not only abrogate both these articles but also to Nationalize the J&K Bank which has become a den of malpractices and activities having a bearing on National Security.
While appreciating the withdrawal of the invidious and humiliating criteria for recruitment in J&K Bank, Ankur Sharma expressed surprise over the latest decision that adopts 40% criteria throughout the State for shortlisting candidates for the Mains Exam. “This is obnoxious and scandalous because this is an attempt by the Bank to perpetrate fraud against Jammu post Mains stage. Less meritorious candidates belonging to one particular region have again been included who will be rewarded at the time of selection, said Ankur Sharma.
He also demanded that J&K Bank be brought under the ambit of RTI Act and all interviews must be videographed so that the biased Bank authorities couldn’t ignore merit and adjust the incompetent and less qualified.
Ankur Sharma further drew the attention of the J&K Governor to the highly discriminatory toll tax policy and urged him to adopt a uniform policy so that people of no region feel discriminated against. He said toll tax be abolished in Jammu, like it has been done in the case of Kashmir. “How could State government adopt a policy that exempts Kashmir from toll tax regime and brings Jammu under its ambit? It is like imposition of Jazia on the law abiding citizens of the country including one crore pilgrims to the holy shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi,” said Chairman IkkJutt Jammu adding that there are elements in the establishment who want to tell the people of Jammu province that they are not citizens of the State but subjects of the State.
