BJP bats for creation of three Regional Autonomous Councils in

Alleging discrimination against the people of Jammu region in government jobs, BJP today batted for the creation of Regional Autonomous Councils for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions and the bifurcation of the civil secretariat and other government departments.
"There is a need for the creation of Regional Autonomous Councils for all the three regions of the state, empowering the councils with legislative, administrative and financial powers.
"Each should have its own Assembly/Council empowered to make legislation for the region concerned, with each council having separate funds allocation from the Centre and power to generate its own financial resources and power of appointments against gazetted and non-gazetted positions in its own region," BJP's state spokesperson Virender Gupta said.

He said that the state government should have the jurisdiction on some subjects of common interests, mutually decided by the regions and added that the employees of the state government should be drawn from all the three regions on the basis of deputation.
He said that to make the state government more responsive to the people's issues, civil secretariat and other state departments and corporations should be bifurcated, with one stationed at Jammu and another at Srinagar functioning throughout the year.
Advocating for decentralisation of political, administration and financial powers, the BJP leader said the people of Jammu region were being discriminated against in the matter of their political empowerment and representation in government jobs.

"The people of Jammu are still facing discrimination in the matter of their political empowerment, representation in the state services including Civil Secretariat, appointments against various positions like Assistant Professors in the state colleges, medical consultants, and lecturers in State Medical Colleges, in police department and other departments of the state government," Gupta said.
He said that the present dispensation came to power with an aim to remove alienation between the people of Jammu region and Kashmir Valley, while ensuring equitable development and judicious representation in the state administration and in other state departments, but there was need to take more steps in this regard.

BJP is a part of the ruling coalition led by PDP in the state.