The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) chairman Harsh Dev Singh addressing a gathering today reminded the ruling BJP of its ‘Vision Document’ released during 2014 Elections and election time speeches of its senior leaders and sought early delimitation of Assembly constituencies in the State and reservation of 33% seats for women in State Assembly.
Mr. Harsh Dev said that the BJP had assured for delimitation and for ending regional bias by the center as well as promised during the state poll campaign, They had also promised justice to Jammu region with 33 % seats reserved for women, five seats for displaced persons of PoJK out of 24 seats reserved for them in the state constitution and three seats for Kashmir migrants.
Mr. Singh said that although various political parties had given the slogans of women empowerment but none had cared to bring about a proper legislation and urged the governor to bring about an ordinance in this regard.
He was accompanied by women candidates namely Advocate Shalini Sharma, Miss Karishma Rajput and Mrs. Swaran Kanta in Ward No. 29, 4 and 21 respectively.
He accused the government of neglecting the main demand of Jammu region and said that this avoidance of delimitation of constituencies which formed a part of the erstwhile coalition government’s Agenda of Alliance has caused huge resentment amongst the Jammu people.
He said that delimitation process involving delimitation of constituencies, re-adjustment of territorial boundaries, rotation of reserved seats, identification of seats for fresh reservation, reservation of seats for women etc. needed be completed in a time bound manner so that next elections could be held as per the census 2011. He sought the immediate attention of the Governor so as to pave for early delimitation with reservation of 33% seats for women besides rotation of SC reserved seats which continued to be reserved for the last more than 20 years.
Mrs. Shalini Sharma, the Advocate said that BJP’s failure to fulfill its pre poll promises on the issue of women reservation and in initiating any steps in this regard could lead to a full-fledged Mahila Andolan. She said that although women are granted reservation in Urban Local Bodies and Panchayats, its unjust to deprive them of the reservation in Assembly.
Miss. Karishma Rajput said that she was not happy with the fact that despite delimitation process had been completed all over the country by Justice Kuldeep Singh commission, it was J&K state alone which had been singled out under the pretext of Art 370.
Some other speakers who attended the occasion included Mrs. Manju Singh, Capt. Anil Gaur, Mr. Kulbhushan Attri, Mr. Bachan Dass, Mr. Suresh Sharma, Mr. Rajesh Bhagat, Mr. Ashwani Kumar besides others.