No G20 meet in Jammu; Farooq attacks govt, criticises settlement of non-locals

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference NC president Farooq Abdullah on Monday attacked the government saying it is unfortunate that G20 meetings were scheduled in Ladakh and Kashmir but not in Jammu and slammed BJP leaders for not raising the issueHe also opposed the settlement of nonlocals in Jammu and claimed that the Dogra identity is under threatIt is very unfortunate that G20 meeting can be held in Ladakh and Kashmir but not in Jammu Is Jammu not important It is sad that not a single BJP leader even those who chanted Jammu Jammu Jammu and Dogra Dogra Dogra raised the issue They have taken Jammu for granted believing that it is in their pocket he told reporters on the sidelines of a NC function at its headquarters hereAsked about the public notice issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board seeking online applications from people who have migrated to Jammu temporarily or permanently for allotment of 336 flats under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban Mission here he said It shows what we have been saying all the time that demographic change is being brought aboutJammu is going to lose its identity the Dogra identity is going to disappear and that is what Maharaja Hari Singh the last Dogra ruler fought against It was not NC founder Sheikh Abdullah or our party that brought that state subject law in 1927 for job and land protection He Maharaja wanted his culture and identity to remain intact Abdullah saidHe said if outsiders are settled here where will the locals go They want to vanish this Dogra identity and it is very surprising that not a single BJP leader speaks about it The people from outside will settle here and take our land and jobs slowly the NC leader saidOn the April 20 terrorist attack on an army truck in Poonch district that left five soldiers dead Abdullah said contrary to the BJPs claims terrorism is still alive in Jammu and KashmirAlso readDont have magic lamp to predict opposition unity ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls says Farooq AbdullahHas terrorism been ever finished They were claiming that terrorism is finished with the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 There is no Article 370 now but terrorism is still there the former chief minister said adding that terrorism had heightened in the regionIn 2019 the Centre had abrogated Article 370 that granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and LadakhHe said the killing of the five soldiers is a shame for us and we regret the lossSupporting casual and needbased workers seeking regularisation the NC leader said the world is celebrating labour day and they the administration should think about the plight of these workers and how they are running the affairs of their families in the present times of high inflationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever