Jammu: Alleging that the BJP-led Centre is insincere about restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Saturday said people in the Union Territory now pin their hopes on the Supreme Court, which he said has delivered justice in the country for decades.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Bhagwati Nagar to inspect restoration work on the approach road to the fourth bridge over the Tawi — badly damaged in the August flash floods — Choudhary accused the BJP of indulging in “lollipop politics” to mislead voters. He criticised the party’s announcement seeking a report card on the National Conference (NC) government as it completes its first year, and argued Jammu and Kashmir continue to struggle with longstanding problems such as regularisation of daily wagers and unemployment — problems he said the BJP failed to address during its 11 years of rule via the BJP-PDP coalition and subsequent Lt Governor administration.
Choudhary assured commuters that repairs to the damaged road stretch and the Panjtirthi road linking Jammu city with Sidhra would be completed soon.
“The Supreme Court should hear the heartbeat of the people, not the politicians. They should intervene as they have in the past to ensure assembly elections in J-K,” he said, commenting on the apex court’s decision to give the Centre four weeks to respond on statehood restoration. “If you leave it to the BJP, they will never restore statehood. They have destroyed J-K.”
He described the Supreme Court as the last ray of hope for people seeking restoration of statehood and stressed that statehood would benefit all residents, not just the NC. “We want statehood so the dual system of governance ends and administration improves,” he added.
On his earlier remark that his security was downgraded for repeatedly questioning the Lt Governor’s functioning, Choudhary appealed for consistency: “If you feel I don’t need security, withdraw mine along with those of other leaders — from the BJP, Congress and PDP. I do not want special favours.” He also urged an end to the practice of assigning two personal security officers to protected persons.
Choudhary demanded probes into alleged misappropriation and governance lapses, saying a Rs 28,000 crore industrial package for J-K remains unaccounted for and illegal mining should be investigated at the highest level. He accused the Lt Governor of sitting on files sent by the Omar Abdullah-led cabinet, delaying business rules and other important approvals, and of interfering in officer transfers.
Rejecting any prospect of alliance with the BJP, Choudhary said the people had given the National Conference a mandate and that the party would not compromise: “We would rather sacrifice the government than become their partners.”
