BJP State Spokesperson Prof. Virender Gupta said that Omar Abdullah is befooling the people of Jammu & Kashmir by saying that State Subject law practised in the state does not allow any sex or gender discrimination. He added that the Supreme Court has allowed the writ petition filed by two Kashmir women and by NGO for discussion while admitting substance in the writ petition and referred it to a bench of three Supreme Court judges, while realizing it as a constitutional matter. The Spokesperson said that there is no denying of the fact that there are dearth of employment resources in the state because of the reluctance of the Industrialists and business houses of other parts of the country to start their concerns in the state, thereby forcing the unemployed youth to migrate from the state in search of job. He asked Omar to name the units started in Jammu province and in Kashmir province by investments by outsider in the state. The Spokesperson said that instead of making hue and cry about the issue of Article 35A, Omar should wait for the outcome of the case in Supreme Court.
Prof. Virender said that State Subject and Article 35A are basic issues that not only allow discrimination on the basis of sex but violate the Article 14 and 16 of Indian constitution. He also raised that the issue of stringent conditions that have been imposed by the state government for getting state subject issued in favour of genuine bonafide persons and in particular, the people of Jammu region find it difficult to get state subject issued in favour of their wards and most of the genuine people are faced to become non-State Subject. He also pointed that the conditions are created by political class of Kashmir valley that none among state subject holders of Jammu province can settle in the valley. He added that the settlement of Kashmiri Pandits back in the valley and construction of Sainik Colony for the defence personnel those are bonafide State Subject are being vehemently opposed. He added that whereas people from valley are settling in Jammu Province, particularly in and out the towns in a large number under a conspicuous strategy to change the demography of the province.
Prof. Virender Gupta contradicted the statement of Omar that other states like Himachal Pradesh and North Eastern States have laws similar to that of State Subject prevailing in J&K. He also contradicted his statement that jobs will squeeze for local youth and our business sector shall suffer tremors with the influx of traders from outside the state and the local land owners will the deprived of land, that business men of Jammu shall be mostly effected. The Spokesperson said that India has 29 states and none of the states suffer from the danger that Omar is propagating to create unfounded fear psychosis on the people of state.
Prof. Virender also contradicted the charge levelled by Omar Abdullah on BJP that is playing divisive politics and dividing the people of the state. He said that it is Kashmir political class and the Kashmir based bureaucrats who with their policy of inflicting extreme discriminatory treatment with Jammu and Ladakh regions and also with the other groups of the state that is responsible for the alienation of these regions from the valley, thus forcing the division of the state. As for as GST is concerned the National Conference indirectly supported the implementation of GST by staging walkout in the assembly, Prof. Virender said. He reminded him the support extended by former Finance Minister of the State, Abdul Rahim Rather while being Chairman of the committee of comprising of the Finance Ministers of all the states during UPA government at the Centre.
