NC warns BJP against diluting State Subject laws

National Conference provincial president Devender Singh Rana today cautioned the ruling PDP-BJP alliance against move to dilute State Subject laws in a clandestine manner to weaken the special status of the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
"BJP has unleashed a sinister and motivated disinformation campaign, especially in the Jammu region, to hoodwink public opinion by creating an impression that doing away with the State Subject laws will benefit the Dogras," Rana said at a day-long convention here.
He said the Dogras would, on the contrary, be hurt the most if such a move is made.
Rana said though the BJP is systematically working towards repealing these laws by whipping up passions on this sensitive issue, they are conveniently concealing the facts, which compelled the visionary Maharaja Hari Singh to enact the State Subject laws in 1927 to safeguard the interests of people of the State from dominance of elite and affluent sections of non-state subjects, essentially from Punjab.

He said enactment of these laws had not been sought either by the people of Kashmir or Ladakh but the Dogras of Jammu had legitimate apprehensions about wealthy businessmen from Punjab settling down in the region and shrinking their economy.
"The farsightedness shown by the Maharaja over nine decades ago is now being negated and exploited by the BJP, in its mistaken pursuit of ultra-nationalism," he said.

Rana said that the coalition partners, PDP and BJP are in league to clandestinely repeal this constitutional guarantee, which is a legitimate provision to preserve the rights of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

He said that by virtue of the State Subject laws, the people of the state, irrespective of caste, creed and colour, are having the comfort of roofs over their heads and jobs for unemployed youth.
"Once this proviso is repealed, the opportunities for the state subjects will end permanently," he said and urged the people to gear up to stop the anti-J&K policies of the PDP-BJP government.