Kashmir-centric parties trying to shove their decisions on Jammu: Jitendra Singh

Union minister Jitendra Singh Sunday hit out at the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party for their decision to boycott the upcoming local bodies and panchayat polls and accused their leadership of trying to "shove their decisions" on Jammu.

"The leadership of the Kashmir-centric parties (NC and PDP) have announced boycott of the polls and are trying to shove their decisions on Jammu. If Jammu-based leaders of these parties have slightest of self-esteem left, then they can approach the BJP," Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, said.

He was addressing the working committee meeting of the state unit of the BJP here.

Singh said the people, especially the youth, need to decide whether they are with the "Prime Minister Narendra Modi model of development, the family model of the Congress or the boycott model of the NC and the PDP".

State BJP president Ravinder Raina welcomed the decision of the government to hold urban local bodies and panchayat elections and said it would further strengthen the power of the common man and help in strengthening the democracy at the grassroots level in the state.

He said the BJP was following the policy of development for all and appeasement to none.

"Whereas the previous governments were completely filled up with the scams, on the other hand, the Modi government has given a severe blow to terrorists and their sympathisers," Raina said.

Meanwhile, BJP state spokesperson and former minister Priya Sethi said municipal and panchayat polls would deal a "blow to politics of blackmail" by the Kashmir-centric parties.

"The announcement of polls is a befitting reply to those regional parties particularly the PDP and the NC who have always blackmailed the Union government on non-issues and this is also a befitting reply to separatists, anti-India people, anti-development parties, Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, who have taken the people of Kashmir for ransom and have time and again exploited them for their vested interests," she said in a separate statement here.