Brig Anil Gupta, State Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party, while appreciating the visit of senior Congress leaders to Uri martyrs’ families has advised them to refrain from playing politics by shedding crocodile tears on the issue of additional ex-gratia amount to the families by the state government and blaming BJP for paying only lip sympathy to the martyrs’ families. “I would like to remind these senior leaders of Congress who were ministers in the then government when a similar fidayeen attack took place at Sunjuwan military station in Jammu in 2001 just after Operation Prakaram. In that incident more than 20 brave Dogra soldiers attained martyrdom. Almost half of them belonged to Jammu province. Why they remained silent at that time and did not pay their families additional ex-gratia amounts in lakhs over and above their entitlement? What happened to their conscious then, where were their so called sympathies with the bereaved families and why are they shedding crocodile tears now,” lamented Brig Gupta. Even after that during their second tenure in government many soldiers from Jammu attained martyrdom fighting terrorists but these leaders never thought of giving enhanced ex-gratia payments to their families. In fact, on numerous occasions they even did not visit the bereaved families. Just because they have been rejected by the people for their high headedness and unfriendly attitude and they are struggling for their political survival, they are now playing with the sentiments of the already shattered families of the martyrs. If their concern is so genuine why doesn’t the Congress party pay them from the numerous Trusts being run by the Gandhi family, questioned Brig Gupta? The families need moral and psychological support to come to grip with the tragedy and not false sympathies, hollow slogans and political one-up ship.
Brig Anil Gupta also expressed his serious concern about non-payment of annual annuity to the gallantry award winners of the state which is a routine thing and required to be paid in April every year. It has been learnt that Home Department has failed to budget for the amount which is a serious lapse since it is annual routine expenditure. BJP requests the CM who is also the Home Minister to order an inquiry and punish the defaulter so that such lapses which show disrespect to the gallant award winners from our state are not repeated in the future. She should also order immediate payment to avoid any further delay said Brig Gupta.
