Alarming sign! Thanks to tough policies, Jammu region is slowly and silently moving away from the BJP; We never expected this from the BJP: Jammuities

Alarming sign! Thanks to tough policies, Jammu region is slowly and silently moving away from the BJP; We never expected this from the BJP: Jammuities

SALIL RAINA

(POONCH TODAY NEWS)

POONCH/JAMMU: BJP has always considered the nationalist Jammu region as its strong pocket, but over the last few months, some questionable and not very clear developmental policies have led to the Jammu region slowly and silently going away from the BJP, as Jammuites alleged that they never expected this from the BJP. Ahead of elections, the BJP is facing the worst crisis in the Jammu region.

Massive protests against the BJP by the Yuva Rajput Sabha, supported by various social and political parties and the Bar Association of Jammu, are an alarming sign for the saffron brigade. Political observers believe that the BJP’s think tank needs to recognize this sooner rather than later, or else the other opposition political parties may band together to keep the BJP out of power in J&K when elections are held sooner or later. On various issues of public importance, the Jammu people are seen up in arms against the government. Whether on the issue of recruitment, failure to ensure a complete anti-encroachment drive, installation of smart meters, the Sarore toll plaza issue, development in Kashmir valley at the cost of Jammu region, the introduction of various taxes, or likewise many other tough decisions that have given a big setback to the Jammu people, the BJP’s unclear and despotic policies have put everybody in confusion. In terms of national security, the BJP-led government has made some bold decisions in J&K, but its failure to meet the expectations of the people, particularly in the Jammu region, is a worrying sign for the saffron brigade. All the decisions that the government wants to implement in the Jammu region were never initiated in the Kashmir region, and it shows that the government is pleasing the Kashmir region at the cost of giving massive setbacks to the nationalist Jammu region. No doubt, the NC, PDP, and Congress were accused of brazen corruption and questionable policies on security-related issues during their tenures, but these parties mostly preferred not to cause any inconvenience to the public by introducing any authoritarian policies that affect the common man, said Jammuites. On the other hand, the BJP has taken some strong measures in terms of national security and foreign diplomacy, but in the Jammu region, which is considered a BJP stronghold, people are slowly and quietly drifting away from the party, and if this trend continues, it will undoubtedly pave the way for opposition political parties to form government in J&K again. Taking full advantage of the government’s shelter, some important government officials (civil and police) heading important posts are also seen behaving like dictators and looting the government exchequer through various schemes. The other day, a high-profile IAS officer also levelled serious allegations against some powerful names in the government, and it clearly shows that the institutions of governance are also suffering from inner fights; as a result, it’s the people that are suffering from no fault of their own due to unclear policies that are coming into the public domain day in and day out. Moreover, some people with questionable and even anti-national credentials have joined the BJP, and some more with similar characteristics want to join the saffron bridge to escape the clutches of the law for their past wrongdoings. Now, if the BJP continues to allow people with bad credentials into the party’s fold just for vote bank politics, then it would be a suicidal attempt from a national security point of view, say political observers. It’s an acid test for the top brass leaders of the J&K BJP, who reportedly have failed to ensure public-oriented policies at the grass-roots level, to win the people of Jammu back to the BJP. There is huge resentment against all the big BJP leaders, including BJP Chief Ravinder Raina and sitting MPs Dr. Jitender Singh and Jugal Kishore, over anti-people policies. At some places, people were also seen raising anti-government slogans.  On the one hand, Home Minister Amit Shah has appreciated LG Manoj Sinha for providing good governance to the people, but on the other hand, J&K BJP leaders are facing the heat of the public. This shows that BJP leaders from Jammu are not being taken seriously by the union government. Some top BJP leaders in the Jammu region have already gotten the signal that people are showing their anger against some anti-people policies, and this is the reason that the BJP may face trouble in the coming election in J&K. Prominent people of Jammu, while talking to “POONCH TODAY,” said, “Jammu people always voted for the BJP by strongly standing in the national interest, but we are suffering for no fault of our own as the BJP-led dispensation has introduced many anti-people policies, and it’s a cause of concern for the people of Jammu region. We will pay back the BJP heavily in elections.” Another prominent businessman, pleading anonymity, said, “Those who always stood against national interest were given everything, but the people of Jammu region, despite their strong nationalist credentials, are being treated wrongly by the saffron brigade due to its questionable policies. We were not against the policy of retrieving state lands from the encroachers, but other anti-people policies have given the people of Jammu a major setback.” They said that Jammu people stand with PM Modi, but at the same time, the BJP should not think that Jammuites are fools, as regularly introducing anti-people policies will force the entire Jammu region to stand against the BJP in elections. Ravinder Raina, on the one hand, has taken the popularity of the BJP to high standards, but on the other hand, internal party politics and the anti-Jammu policies of the BJP dispensation have given a big setback to the popularity of the BJP in the region. In every nook and corner of the Jammu division, people are seen criticizing the J&K government for introducing dictatorial policies. If the BJP failed to understand the gravity of the situation after implementing many dictatorial decisions in the Jammu region, then the saffron brigade in the Jammu region is surely digging its political graveyard.  These tough statements, which are coming from different quarters of the Jammu region, are alarming signs for the BJP, and it would be interesting to see how the BJP think tank tackles this burning public anger on some important issues of convenience and wins back the Jammu region again as elections are around the corner.