Congress discontinued Dogra certificate scheme: Jitendra Singh

Jammu, April 7

Union Minister and BJP candidate for Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, Jitendra Singh alleged on Sunday that the Congress party cancelled the issuing of the Dogra certificate, depriving the youth of the option of getting a dignified livelihood.

Singh held a rally in Billawar constituency and said that the Congress deliberately denied district status to Billawar.

Billawar deliberately denied dist status

The BJP had always been in favour of a separate hill district status for Billawar even when it was in the Opposition. Due to the Congress’ policy of appeasement and regional discrimination, Billawar was deliberately denied the tag. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister

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“The Congress also cancelled the Dogra Certificate and deprived youth of this belt from the option of getting a livelihood as per their inherent aptitude and capacities. The same Congress leaders are today shedding crocodile tears for Dogras. The memory of people is not so short as to have forgotten what the Congress did to them and their revered Dogra ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh,” said Jitendra Singh.

Addressing a public meeting, Singh said, “The BJP had always been in favour of a separate hill district status for Billawar even when it was in the Opposition.”

Singh accused the Congress and its allies of following a policy of appeasement and regional discrimination, as a result of which the district status for Billawar was deliberately denied. He said, “It is an irony that for several years, Congress MLAs elected from this region were part of the government as state ministers, but they too did not take up this cause because they were more concerned about securing their ministerial berths by keeping their masters in good humour.”

“In the last 10 years since Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister, there has been a continuous attempt to make up for the lapses of the past and to ensure equitable development in all the regions. As a result of this, for the first time since independence, we have a network of roads in the region, and one can drive down from Jammu to Billawar in just about two and a half hours, which was unimaginable before 2014,” he said.

He said, “The demand for the Bala Sundri tunnel was ignored by the earlier governments. Only after the BJP government came to power, this project got approved but was delayed for certain reasons, and now it would be taken up by the National Highway Authority of India.”