By Majid Nabi
Srinagar- Coming out in support of the ongoing anti-encroachment drive, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday said that not a single structure belonging to the poor has been demolished anywhere in Jammu and Kashmir.
Former minister and BJP general secretary J&K, Sunil Sharma said the demolition drive has ‘exclusively’ been launched against few families, who he alleged have looted state property worth crores of rupees over the years.
Sharma threw an open challenge to Peoples Conference (PC) Chairman, Sajad Gani Lone to prove whether a single structure owned by any poor family was destroyed during the ongoing demolition drive in J&K.
He said the government is committed to protect the poor and that the drive against land grabbers will continue, till a single inch of illegally occupied land is retrieved from them.
In apparent reference to Omar Abdullah, Sajad Lone and Mehbooba Mufti, the BJP leader said those living an ‘aristocratic life’ cannot understand the meaning of poverty.
“Not a single structure owned by a poor family was knocked down during the ongoing demolition drive in J&K. BJP will apologize and own responsibility, if any poor family was touched anywhere. Government is committed to protect the poor, and the administration implements LG orders in letter and spirit,” Sharma told reporters here.
The BJP leader asserted that the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother used to wash dishes at people’s homes to feed her children while her son began his career by selling tea at a railway station.
He asked Omar, Mehbooba and Lone not to teach lessons of poverty to those who lived their life in extreme poverty.
“Sajad Lone is son of a former minister and he cannot feel the pain of a poor man, who strives for his livelihood all through his life. Mehbooba Mufti was born in a Home Minister’s house wherein pets are fed with silver spoons. Omar Abdullah owns property from J&K to London, how could they define poverty to PM Modi whose mother used to wash dishes at people’s homes to feed her family,” he added.
Sharma said action against sister Shabnam Lone frustrated her brother Sajad a lot and that he started teaching lessons on poverty
“Let Sajad Lone prove whether any poor family having built house on state land in Handwara, his home constituency was touched, if yes, we will be answerable,” he said.
He claimed that Omar Abdulla’s relatives were paying a rent of Rs 13 per kanal land, which was recently retrieved from them. Besides, he said, Nedou’s had also encroached upon 40 kanal of state land, which too was retrieved.
“Bulldozer will continue against those having misused their official positions by encroaching upon the state land while poor having erected their houses on few marlas land will not be touched,” added Sharma.
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