BJP appeals for calling off Jammu stir on AIIMS

The BJP on Sunday appealed to the AIIMS agitation committee to call off its protest shutdown in the city and blamed the opposition Congress and the National Conference of trying to create confusion over the sensitive issue.

"Since the demand for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences for Jammu has been fulfilled, there is no justification in continuing with the agitation spearheaded by the coordination committee," Bharatiya Janata Party state president and parliamentarian Jugal Kishore Sharma told media persons at the party headquarters here.

Jugal Kishore Sharma appealed to the people of Jammu not to be misled on the AIIMS issue since it was sanctioned by union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on the intervention of the state party leaders.

Confusion is being created by political parties like the National Conference, the Congress and the Panthers Party over a settled issue, the BJP leader said.

He further clarified that the proposed AIIMS would have a separate director, equal number of faculty and every kind of infrastructure and seats on par with AIIMS sanctioned for the Kashmir valley.

State BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi said Nadda's statement that his ministry would provide similar facilities in AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir regions was misinterpreted and exploited by some political parties.

"The AIIMS coordination committee and the people should know that such statement has been made by Nadda to preclude future confusion that the Kashmir region had got more than Jammu region due to discrimination against Jammu during the rule of Congress and National Conference in the past," he added.

Sethi appealed the coordination committee to call off the agitation in view of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.