Estate Bungalows, security vehicles, public properties in J&K, the sole preserve of BJP: Harsh Dev

Alleging conferment of multifarious facilities by the present regime to Ex-MLAs/Ex-Ministers of BJP to the exclusion of all other political parties, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh, former Minister and NPP leader said that J&K continued to witness two sets of laws even after the abrogation of its special status. He expressed his dismay over the open violation of SOPs and guidelines in the matter of allotment of government accommodation so as to confer undue and illegitimate benefits upon the political persons owing allegiance to a particular party. It was shocking to note that BJP leaders who were not holding any position in government and fell in common man’s category were occupying not only ‘special type’, ‘A-type’ Estates mansions but many of them were still living in Ministerial Bungalows. He said that while NPP office was sealed in Jammu, the Apni Party and People Conference were allowed to retain govt bungalows as their political offices. And while the other opposition leaders including Ex-Ministers and heads of recognized political parties were also hounded out of Estates quarters’ years back through police force, the said BJP workers were allowed to retain the same thereby providing the most glaring example of present govt’s dictatorial and autocratic policies besides being indicative of patronized corruption in BJP rule. He was addressing a meeting of Panthers Party workers at Jammu today.

Not only the Estates Bungalows but the security vehicles and PSOs were also being allotted purely on political considerations, said Singh. He pointed out that all the Ex-MLAs and Ex-Ministers of BJP were provided security vehicles and a huge paraphernalia of security personnel while denying bare minimum security to opposition leaders. He said that the heads of recognized political parties has also been divested of their due security by withdrawing their escorts, vehicles as well as security PSOs. The security agencies had withdrawn the security cover of majority of opposition leaders and allotted the same to even the small time lower rung workers of BJP. He reminisced that a report had been made public in the past that a BJP worker of Kashmir had been provided as many as ten PSOs. Likewise many other insignificant people had been provided huge security at public expense in the most arbitrary manner purely on the whims and fancies of the helmsmen.

Seeking a high level probe into the whole gamut of security allotment, Mr. Singh called for punitive action against the officers who were acting more as BJP servants than public servants. He said that non adherence to any set of norms and differential treatment of political parties by abusing of public exchequer and conferring benefits upon favourities was not only a crime but a financial scam which needed due attention of the vigilante bodies and Comptroller General of India.

Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included S.Paramjit Marshall, Gagan Pratap Singh, Parshotam Parihar, Dhani Ram Attri, Naresh Chib, Amar Nath Mehra, Rajesh Gondhi, Vinod Jamwal, Ravinder Singh, Chhatar Pal Singh besides others.