Cong blames BJP top brass for shifting of AIIMS to Kashmir
Extends support to bandh call, accuses BJP of weakening Jammu’s cause
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) today held Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, BJP national president Amit Shah and party general secretary Ram Madhav squarely responsible for “shifting” of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to the Kashmir Valley.
The JKPCC also accused the saffron party of trying to sabotage the movement launched by the AIIMS Coordination Committee for “Jammu cause” by “misleading” people.
“After the declaration of Assembly results last year, the ruling coalition partners — PDP and BJP — took 67 days to finalise their common minimum programme (CMP). On February 28, they announced setting up of AIIMS in Jammu, but the saffron party surrendered it the very next day and gave away the premier institute to Kashmir,” JKPCC senior vice-president Sham Lal Sharma told reporters here.
“It was a cheating and conspiracy against the people of Jammu by Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley and Ram Madhav who were involved in finalising the CMP,” he said.
While extending full support to the 72-hour bandh call by the AIIMS Coordination Committee from June 19, Sharma lashed out at the BJP for “trying to sabotage the movement” for setting up of AIIMS in Jammu.
“BJP leaders first deceived and betrayed the people of Jammu on the issue and now are trying to weaken and sabotage the movement (for establishment of AIIMS in Jammu) . However, the people have recognised the real face of the BJP and are not going to buy their arguments until the demand is conceded as per the terms of the Coordination Committee,” he said.
The Congress leader questioned the role of BJP, whose leaders were issuing “contradictory” statements to distort the facts in order to confuse the people about the present of status of AIIMS.
He also targeted the Central government for announcing only Rs 1,667 crore financial assistance against the previous government’s projected Rs 44,000-crore relief package for flood affected people of the state.
“They (Centre) have resorted to various kinds of excuses vis-à-vis extending relief package to September 2014 flood victims. They are saying a team of bureaucrats including members of NITI Ayog and Expenditure Secretary will visit J&K soon. They must close down finance and planning department in J&K if they are not satisfied with its functioning,” he said.
He also appealed to the people to make bandh call a success to further press upon the Centre and the state government to accede to the genuine demand for setting up of AIIMS in Jammu.
