With BJP J&K unit in a state of complete dis-array, its Ministers and MLAs were making highly incongruous and confusing statements in a vain bid to regain their lost ground in Jammu region, said Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and former Minister. While the sacked Ministers Lal Singh and C.P Ganga had started talking of CBI probe after their removal, the Dy. C.M too had started feeling the heat in his political bastion and was trying to suggest that he did not completely disagree with the people alleging the role of vested interests and external forces behind Rasana episode. He said that public pressure was operating hard against these BJP leaders who had abandoned their fundamentals and avowed principals for their personal loaves and fishes.
He was addressing a press conference in Jammu today. Apart from successive surrenders over the Jammu centric issues, the BJP Ministers were prone to changing colours as per the dictations of their Kashmir centric masters, he rued. He said that these leaders further changed their statements with change in circumstances to suit their political expediencies quite unmindful of the damage to Jammu’s pride merely for their vested personal interests. Referring to the statement of Dr. Nirmal Singh describing Rasana episode as a part of international conspiracy, Mr. Singh Questioned the steps contemplated by the govt to unearth the global plot as claimed by Dy. CM. He said that only two days back he was accusing the opposition parties of having engineered flare up in the case for political reasons and expressed his satisfaction with the Crime Branch probe.
“On what basis therefore had he arrived at the conclusion of an international conspiracy within two days and how did he propose to deal with the situation, questioned Harsh. He further flayed the Dy. CM for his refusal to have the case probed through CBI despite admitting its international connotations by taking the plea that Jammu people should approach the court. He said that that the Dy. CM very well knew that his govt too had the jurisdiction to decide upon the investigating agency and it could make a statement before the court in favour of CBI probe into the matter but this option was deliberately being avoided only to appease the separatist forces in Kashmir. He further questioned the motive behind wholesale transfers effected in Forest Deptt by Dr. Nirmal Singh on the very first day of assuming charge of the said Deptt.
He further expressed his dismay over the suspension of 23 officials of Health Deptt issued by Mr. Bali Bhagat after having resigned as Health Minister and thereby having voluntarily relinquished his powers to act as Minister. “Whether or not his resignation was accepted is secondary, the pertinent question being his power and authority to sack officials after having submitted his resignation”. He said that it was probably unique in the history that orders were still being issued by those who had resigned from their empowered positions. But then anything is possible in a sate like J&K where rules are only for fools, asserted Harsh.