Accusing the BJP of "abandoning" the Jammu cause, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party on Saturday hit out at the ruling alliance in the state, especially the BJP ministers based in Jammu for their "criminal silence" over shifting of AIIMS to Kashmir.
"The BJP has abandoned the cause of Jammu region and sacrificed its age old philosophy for the crumbs of power. We cautioned the saffron party to arise, awake and assert in view of public anger having reached its crescendo," JKNPP Chairman Harsh Dev Singh told reporters here.
There is a "criminal silence" by the ruling alliance especially by the Jammu-based ministers on burning issues like surrender of AIIMS meant for Jammu to Kashmir, he said.
"It is very shameful to launch a highly obnoxious recruitment policy, toll plaza at Bantalab Nagrota besides non incorporation of Jammu-based issues in Common Minimum Programme, which has created a lot of resentment in the region with the heat generated due to Jammu's persistent deprivation having turned into a furnace," he claimed.
Accusing the Jammu-based ministers of having resorted to "gross betrayal", he said they should remain "prepared" to face public ire. He strongly admonished the statement of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on the last day of Durbar Move, which appeared in the media today, categorically refusing the restoration of the already approved AIIMS to Jammu.
Singh charged that it gave the most "glaring example of political debauchery" and "treacherous" deal struck by the BJP for crumbs of power.
Further ridiculing Singh's statement that there was no bandh in Jammu, he advised the deputy chief minister to "come out of the world of delusion and fantasy." Complimenting the people of Jammu for commendable display of unity and solidarity for the region's cause by observing a complete and peaceful shutdown, Singh said that well begun is half done.
He said that it was a historic bandh as almost all the political and social organisations of Jammu but BJP had joined hands to defeat the "nefarious" designs of the newly formed coalition government of "perpetuating bias" against Jammu region by transferring the AIIMS to Kashmir.
He said that it was regrettable that the government had refused to make even a single comment with respect to any of its commitments made to the people of Jammu region during polls.
