Jammu: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary Tarun Chugh on Saturday stated that the party was sympathetically considering the demands of protesting Kashmiri Pandits (migrant employees) seeking relocation to Jammu.
“Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is, was and will always be with Kashmiri Pandits (KPs). We are considering their demands related to their relocation to Jammu. We have just concluded a meeting with them,” he said, while responding to questions from media persons on the sidelines of a party function here.
“To announce elections is the prerogative of the Election Commission. Following the completion of the delimitation, the Commission is expeditiously working ahead to complete the process prior to elections. It revised the voter lists and then sought objections. I believe that the Commission will take a call on the conduct of elections soon after this process,” he said.
With regard to unabated targeted killings in Kashmir, Chugh said, “The statistics suggest that the government has successfully reduced the number of terrorists as well as their shelf-life. I have stated this in the past and I reiterate it that those who kill innocent civilians – the citizens of India, will not be spared. All those who try to disintegrate the country or take up weapons to kill citizens of the country have been eliminated in the past and this process will continue in future as well.”
When asked about different categories of employees holding protests in Jammu, he said that this was an administrative issue and the administration had constituted a committee also in this connection.
“We hope that the administration would take a befitting call in this connection as per the recommendations of the committee,” he said.
Responding to the query related to the outcome of three committees set up by the party to resolve the issues of reserved category and PM package employees; Rehbar-e-Janglat employees and all categories of daily wagers, BJP national general secretary said, “The party is holding meetings of these committees today. We are moving forward in a very positive way in our deliberations and will take an appropriate call which will be in the wider interest (of all stakeholders).”
When asked about the party’s reaction to the speculations about early conduct of Urban Local Body (ULB) elections, Chugh said “About the conduct of (ULB) elections, the Election Commission will decide. However, as far as BJP is concerned, it is always ready for any kind of elections as the party firmly believes in democracy.”
Earlier, J&K BJP held a series of meetings of its senior leaders, Morchas, Cells at party headquarter, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu. J&K BJP in-charge Tarun Chugh, BJP national general secretary Dilip Saikia, J&K BJP general secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul, Seh-Prabhari Ashish Sood, All Morcha Prabhari Munish Sharma, All Cell Incharge Rakesh Mahajan addressed the meetings.