Jammu, 03-12-2022: While the J&K govt had hounded out the opposition leaders one by one from Estates quarters and other govt bungalows during the last few years after dissolution of Assembly, it had surprisingly allowed the unauthorized occupation of govt mansions and even ministerial bungalows by the BJP leaders and its allied parties, said Mr. Harsh Dev Singh, Former Minister and Chairman AAP J&K State Co-ordination Committee. He said that 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. And while the opposition leaders including ex-Ministers and heads of recognized political parties were thrown out of Estates quarters’ years back through coercive apparatus of state, 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, rued Harsh. Not only that, the political allies of BJP from Kashmir were provided govt bungalows at Gandhi Nagar Jammu to establish their political offices. He was addressing a press conference at Jammu today.
Mr. Singh said that a reply received by him in response to RTI revealed that several BJP workers have been allotted Estates Bungalows which continue to be retained by them in violation of all norms and stipulated procedures. It was further shocking to note that the concerned authorities had allowed the BJP leaders to retain the said Estates bungalows despite categoric orders of their eviction issued repeatedly by the High Court. Not only that the Apni Party and Peoples Conference had been conferred undue favours by allotting govt accommodation for their political offices by defying the orders of the High Court. Strange are the ways of the present regime which provides the most glaring example of the famous proverb “Rules are for fools”. Not only that the govt was demolishing/evicting the poor, marginalized and unemployed in the name of illegal occupation of State lands, it had granted a sort of immunity to the corrupt leaders of ruling party who had encroached huge chunks of State and Forest lands worth crores besides govt bungalows.
Not only the Estates Bungalows but the security vehicles and PSOs were also being allotted purely on political considerations, said Mr. Singh. He pointed out that all the Ex-MLAs and Ex-Ministers of BJP and JKAP were provided security vehicles and huge paraphernalia of security personnel while denying bare minimum security to opposition leaders. He said that the even top leadership of recognized political parties has also been divested of their due security by withdrawing their escorts, vehicles as well as security PSOs despite facing militants’ threats. 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 only last year a report had been made public 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 preferably through CBI into the whole gamut of illegal allotments of govt bungalows and huge encroachments of govt lands and properties by BJP leaders, 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 favourites was not only a crime but a financial scam which needed due attention of the Lt. Governor and Chief Secretary of the UT
Accusing the BJP leaders of treating the govt properties as their fathers’ fiefdom, Mr. Singh said that such loot of Tax-payers money by BJP-bureaucrat nexus needed due cognizance of various anti corruption bodies.
Mr. Parshotam Parihar and Mr. Kirti Fangotra were also present in the press conference.