J-K Govt deliberately delaying passage of Temples Bill: APMCC

An organisation of Kashmiri Pandits today condemned the Jammu and Kashmir government for its "casual" approach towards the Hindu Temples and Shrines Bill and alleged that the passage of the Bill was "deliberately delayed".
"Government's casual approach towards Kashmiri Pandits was evident from the fact that even after introducing the Bill after four years on the last day of the session, it preferred to send it to the Select Committee instead of passing it to send a good signal to the community," Spokesperson, All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee, King C Bharati, told reporters here.
"The delay in passing of the Bill has sent clear indications that Jammu and Kashmir Government was taking Kashmiri Pandits for granted," he said.

Insisting that Temple Bill was an important issue for the community, as well as one of the six-point charter of demands made by the APMCC, Bharti said that its Chairman Vinod Pandit would launch third fast-unto-death agitation in Kashmir, if the government fails to honour its commitment.
Pandit, who went on 15-day long fast unto death at Porbandar, Gujarat earlier this year, had called off his protest only after the state government assured him that it will look into the demands made by the outfit, he said.
He added that a delegation that met the state Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, Aijaz Ahmed Khan under the chairmanship of Pandit, was assured by him that their demands would be met soon.

"We were assured that our demands would be met, but nothing has been done so far," the spokesperson added.