UDHAMPUR: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said today that the District Development Council (DDC) vote is a vote for grassroot “self-rule” and by turning out in huge numbers, people have rejected the concept of dynastic self-rule or dynastic autonomy perpetrated by the Gupkar Parties. Addressing election meetings during the last day of the second phase of the election campaign in the hill terrains of Pancheri, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, District Development Council (DDC) election will ensure autonomy for the grassroot representatives and the voter has rejected the concept of autonomy for ruling families. He said, this is also an endorsement of the Modi government’s decision to introduce 3-tier grassroot democracy which had been denied to the people of Jammu & Kashmir for more than seven decades. Reiterating that in the last over six years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the priority focus has been on development, regardless of vote bank or other considerations, Dr Jitendra Singh said, every area and every region has been given its due, depending on its requirement and there has been a conscious attempt to undo the injustice of the past. As for Pancheri, Karimchi and surrounding areas, Dr. Jitendra Singh recalled that the road was constructed for the first time four decades ago after a sustained struggle of the BJP Unit of Udhampur but there was no up-gradation done since then. It is only now, in the last four years, he said, that through the Central Road Fund (CRF) the upgrading and blacktopping has been undertaken which will be completed in due course of time. Dr. Jitendra Singh informed, we had put across a demand for three Degree Colleges in the area, one for Mogri, one for Pancheri and one for Katra but when the list was out we were told that since already nearly 65% of the new Degree colleges allocated in Jammu & Kashmir had been taken by the Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Lok Sabha constituency which included remote areas like Marmat and Kastigarh and, therefore, of the two nearby stations, Mogri was given one college and we were assured that Pancheri will also be given a college. He said, meanwhile, one of the opposition leaders, who is also contesting the District Development Council election went to the court and got the order stayed This only goes on to prove, he said, that the opposition is unable to digest the development works undertaken by the BJP government and therefore they have adopted a disruptive approach to block the work. Dr. Jitendra Singh said, it is now for the people to decide whether they would vote for the candidate from a party which is relentlessly pursuing the development goals or they support candidate from a political party which has blocked the college work and thus blocked the future of the youth. He said, at a time when more than 75% of the population is below the age of 40 years, we can not afford to elect representatives who are anti-development and anti-youth.
