People across Maha will vote for development: Eknath Shinde

Jammu, March 6 (IANS) Lone CPI(M) MLA, Mohammad Tusuf Tarigami, on Thursday demanded land and jobs rights for the residents of Jammu and Kashmir as were guaranteed by the erstwhile Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh.

He said this in the Assembly during the discussion on the motion of thanks on the Lt. Governor’s address.

Tarigami said the original constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir should be restored, and there was no example in Independent India when a state was reduced to the level of a union territory.

“This is important to protect the interests of the people,” he said

He also opposed the remarks made in the House on Wednesday by BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma regarding the restoration of July 13 holiday as the ‘Martyrs Day’.

He said he regretted the remarks made by the BJP leader as Tarigami said, “Knowing history is very important for my colleagues in the Assembly”.

The CPI(M) MLA said the Dogra rule in J&K came into being in 1846 by virtue of the Treaty of Amritsar when Kashmir, with its 5,000-year-old history, was ‘sold by the British’.

He also referred to the supreme sacrifice made by Bhagat Singh, who fought against the British rule in India. In the same breath, Tarigami criticised the BJP for what he called ‘undermining the legacy of Dogra rulers and the struggles of historical figures like Zorawar Singh.

He questioned the rationale behind the separation of Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir. “Why was Ladakh separated from Jammu and Kashmir? This is the question I ask the BJP,” he said.

The BJP MLAs responded to Tarigami, saying that Ladakh was separated from J&K due to the discontent of the region with the Kashmir administration.

Tarigami appreciated the historical role of Jammu and Kashmir in maintaining peace during times of communal strife. “It is a known fact that when the entire country was burning in communal flames, it was Kashmir alone that remained peaceful.”

He praised the role of National Conference (NC) founder Sheikh Abdullah and the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir in implementing historic land reforms that benefited farmers from both the Jammu and Kashmir regions.

“Today, you demand the removal of Sheikh Abdullah’s birthday from the list of gazetted holidays, but it was he who ensured a dignified living even for the poorest of the poor, whether from Jammu or Kashmir,” he asserted.

Addressing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Tarigami acknowledged the limitations of the current administration, stating, “People know that you [CM] cannot even transfer a constable from your office. However, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are not seeking charity but rather the restoration of their rights and dignity. Our rights should be restored in accordance with the Constitution of India. Let us demand in unison, irrespective of party affiliations, that we want the same state that was founded by the Dogra rulers, and we want our job and land rights back,” Tarigami said.

Tarigami, as the lone CPI(M) MLA in the 90-member J&K Assembly, supports the Omar Abdullah-led NC government

The NC has 42 MLAs, BJP 29, Congress 6, the Independents 6, People’s Conference (PC) 1, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 1, PDP 3, the CPI(M) one and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) one.

Five Independents later joined the NC, and one of them, Satish Sharma, is a Minister in the cabinet.

Congress supports the government from outside, as does AAP and CPI(M).

–IANS

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Bengaluru, Jan 3 (IANS) The Karnataka BJP fact-finding committee on Saturday visited Fakir Colony and Wasim Layout near Kogilu Layout in Yelahanka, Bengaluru, where structures built on government land were demolished, to verify facts regarding the existence of houses and sheds in the area.

Speaking to the media after the visit, BJP MLA S.R. Vishwanath said nearly 95 per cent of the houses and sheds that were demolished had been constructed over the past two years.

Vishwanath further announced that a large-scale protest would be held at the Kogilu Layout demolition site on January 5.

He said that a detailed report on the Kogilu Layout issue would be submitted to the BJP state president within the next two days.

He said the report would include details such as the transfer of land to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), survey numbers, Google Maps data, legal aspects and other relevant information.

He said discussions were underway on whether the BJP state president would submit the report to the Governor or challenge the matter in court.

Vishwanath demanded that houses be provided to the local residents at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh.

“I can also put up 100 sheds. Once they are demolished, the government will have to provide houses,” he said.

He alleged that no houses had been provided to disaster relief victims or to those who had lost homes built over stormwater drains, and claimed that the entire exercise was being carried out for vote-bank politics.

Applicants who had applied for houses under the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation would participate in the protest. “Ultimately, we will approach the court,” he said.

Vishwanath demanded strict action against those who had allegedly taken money and illegally allotted houses under agreements.

“Whether it is Wasim or Vishwanath, whoever is involved must be arrested and jailed. Today, the Congress is protecting such people,” he alleged.

Responding to questions, he said the person who developed Wasim Layout had named the layout after himself and was a local Congress leader with close links to ministers.

He claimed that audio recordings were available in which people were asked to pay Rs 4 lakh or Rs 3.5 lakh to get sheds constructed.

He also alleged that the same individual had arranged rental houses for some people.

He said no cases had been registered against the person despite allegedly cheating hundreds of people.

“They have facilitated Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards for them. We will hand over these documents to officials for verification,” he said.

Vishwanath alleged that the issue was being politicised following statements made by AICC General Secretary and MP K.C. Venugopal, claiming that it was driven by political motives linked to statements by the Kerala Chief Minister.

He said around 20,000 houses had been constructed in his constituency. “Those who paid Rs 1 lakh six years ago seeking houses are yet to be allotted one,” he said.

He said the government had announced that houses constructed by the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation at Baiyappanahalli would be allotted, adding that this too involved legal procedures.

Applicants must have lived in Bengaluru for at least five years and possess a residence certificate issued by officials. Applications must be submitted online.

“Ten per cent of the houses are reserved for minorities. There are 58 vacant houses under the minority quota at Baiyappanahalli,” he said.

He said officials claimed that while 250 people were said to be residing in the area, details were available for only about 40 houses.

Under Section 94CC, houses are provided only if the structure existed before 2015 and if applications were submitted on time.

“Houses cannot be provided under this provision for encroachments on transferred land,” he explained.

He said the Baiyappanahalli housing project consisted of apartment units with more than 12 floors and lifts.

“If such apartments are allotted, residents will have to pay at least Rs 500 to Rs 600 as maintenance charges. How can poor people who say they do not even have money for photocopies manage this?” he asked.

He said the government had announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh from the BBMP and Rs 2.5 lakh from the Minority Welfare Department.

“They are maintaining that those who had lost homes have to pay just Rs 2.5 lakh. Such funds cannot be disbursed in this manner,” he said, calling the statements illogical.

“The government is misleading them with false promises,” he alleged.

Members of Vishwanath’s team included BJP state vice-president Malavika Avinash, MLAs Muniraj and K.S. Naveen, state general secretary Tamesh Gowda, Bengaluru North district president S. Harish, and other party leaders.

–IANS

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