Referring to the clarification given by the Ministry of Home Affairs that it had no plans to extend Article 371 to J&K, NPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh said that it had once again exposed the State BJP for its deceptive politics and false narrative. He said that Jammu region which had overwhelmingly supported the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A was being assured time and again by BJP leaders that a ‘Domicile Law’ was in the offing to protect their lands, properties and jobs. He said that repeated statements were being made in the media as well by the BJP leaders that necessary constitutional safeguards were in the pipeline in the form of Article 371 so as to protect the interests of the people of erstwhile State and that Govt would be making a formal announcement on the subject. He alleged that treacherous conduct of these leaders has once again come to force as a rude shocker for the people of J&K. The MHA has finally spilled the beans and fully exposed the BJP for its false narrative and subterfuge by categorically ruling out any such proposal, Singh rued. Harsh Dev Singh further said that people of J&K wanted the Domicile Law as enacted during the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh to continue so as to safeguard the interests of the people of this erstwhile princely State. He said that possibilities of the land sharks usurping the lands of the state subjects and bullying the poor and un-influential land owners of the State could not be ruled out following the abrogation of the laws giving protection to local farmers. He said that prospects of loss of employment opportunities was another very serious issue which had been irking the minds of educated unemployed youth. He said that a scary situation was erupting in which the unemployed youth was getting restive and agitated with none to address their bonafide concerns and apprehensions and MHA clarification has further dampened their hopes. Singh further expressed concern over the collapse of erstwhile Dogra State saying that its demotion as UT would spell doom for saffron party in the days to come.
