BJP leaders allege bias against Jammu region

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 4

Already facing allegations of corruption against some of its ministers, the ruling BJP has now landed in an embarrassing situation with party leaders criticising the state government for meting out “step-motherly” treatment to the Jammu region. Not only party leaders but Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Sangh Parivar, is also up in arms against the state government for allegedly discriminating against the youth of the region.

The controversy arose after the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) recently issued selection lists of assistant professors in the Health and Medical Education Department and in the Higher Education Department. BJP and ABVP leaders alleged that in the selections due share was not given to candidates from theJammu region.

Enraged over discrimination, BJP spokesman Varinder Gupta has asked the MLAs and ministers from the region to take an appropriate action to address the genuine grievances in the matter of selections being conducted by the JKPSC.

Substantiating his allegations, Gupta pointed out that of the 123 selections made in the year 2015 in the Medical and Health Education Department, only 23 candidates belonged to the Jammu region.

While drawing the attention of the state government to the selections made in the Higher Education Department in the appointment of assistant professors in the year 2016, he said only nine candidates from the Jammu region were selected against the total 34. Similarly, seven Jammu candidates were selected against the total 26 in Physics and 12 in Mathematics against the total 25 selections.

Sources said there was a strong anger among party leaders on this issue because it was for the first time that candidates of the Jammu region had been discriminated in such a way. “The issue was discussed during a meeting where leaders regretted that despite being an equal partner of the government, the BJP ministers had failed to protect Jammu’s interest,” the sources said.

The ABVP has already charged the JKPSC of being “biased and discriminatory” against the Jammu-based candidates in recently released selection list of assistant professors in the Higher Education Department.

“When the candidates were short-listed for the interviews, a majority of aspirants were from the Jammu province. However, candidates from Jammu were ignored in the general selection list,” ABVP leader Abhinav has alleged.

When contacted, state BJP president Sat Sharma avoided any comment on the functioning of the JKPSC but asserted that keeping in view the aspirations of the people, regional balance must be maintained while making selections. “It is an important issue and we will look into this matter,” Sharma told The Tribune. He said the BJP would not allow discrimination with any part of the state.