State BJP Spokesperson Prof. Virender Gupta, while reacting to the cirticism launched by the opposition parties, particularly Congress and National Panthers Party and some Jammu based political/social groups that BJP has made U-Turn in the matter of granting state citizenship to the West Pakistan Refugee which was part of its Election Manifesto, said that BJP in no case has back tracked from its commitments to the people of Jammu region. He added that BJP stand firmly on its promises to the people and to its ideology.
The Spokesperson was critical of Congress and NPP, the parties which made bundle of promises and always betrayed the people of Jammu region to appease the Kshmiri leadership. He reminded that even in 2002 elections, Congress party made the promise to the people in particularly to POJK displaced persons, West Pakistan Refugee and to the people of Jammu region, in general for giving justice to the people of Jammu region in the matter of development, their due representation in the state services and in the state assembly, but there was a very little movement was made in the direction of fulfilling these promises. The promises were made even by a person like Ghulam Nabi Azad who shared the Chief Minister of the state after 2002 elections. The leaders of Panthers Party when were Ministers in Mufti Sayeed Government, did not utter a single word even in favour of its famous damand of reorganiztion of Jammu and Kashmir State with Jammu being a separate state. It is a cruel joke with the West Pakistan Refugee that the President of State Congress Party toes the line of separatists whereas its Jammu leadership asks for granting citizenship rights to them and it leadership at the Centre, including its Vice-President, Rahul Gandhi has preferred to observe silence on the issue.
Prof. Virender said that State BJP has always focused itself on all the issues pertaining to the people of Jammu region and to its commitments to them and is moving forward step-by-step in that direction. He said that the recent decision about the West Pakistan Refugees and the policy of the Government of India to provide them a dignified life have been well received by the refugees who have welcomed those, wholeheartedly.
