Corruption crosses all limits in J&K, none to take cognizance: Harsh

21/04/2021

Jammu, Apr 20: Alleging the prevalence of a deep rooted culture of patronized corruption in J&K, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman-JKNPP and former Minister said that all previous records on the subject stood beaten by an unholy nexus between the corrupt politicians and officers working in tandem to loot the resources of the erstwhile state.
"While all the tall slogans of BJP regime of providing 'corruption free system', 'Accountability and transparency' had proved a hoax, the erstwhile state of J&K seemed to be in the grip of a powerful and corrupt mafia with anti corruption and other vigilante bodies having become redundant or become defunct. The meaning and relevance of corruption too had underwent a complete change under the BJP regime.
The dishonest, irregular and immoral acts of BJP leaders, besides their fraudulent bargains and scams seemed to have been excluded from the preview of corruption with the anti graft laws becoming applicable only to the 'inconvenients'.
The most glaring example is the abandonment of the issue of Roshni scam by BJP after one of its own MLAs was reported by the media to be involved in the nasty scheme. He was addressing a press conference in Jammu today.
Pointing towards the illegal usurping of govt premises including ministerial bungalows by the BJP leaders, Mr. Singh said that such unauthorized occupation of public premises provided the most glaring example of political corruption.
And the nexus between the corrupt officers and politicians was evident from the fact that no action had been taken to evict them despite categoric orders of the High Court. Not only that the said leaders were availing all facilities in the illegally occupied houses at govt expense without paying any rent and still the govt was harping on the slogans of 'good governance' and corruption free dispensation.
Not only the Estates Bungalows but the security vehicles and PSOs were also being allotted purely on political considerations, said Mr. Singh.
He pointed out that all the Ex-MLAs and Ex-Ministers of BJP and even petty workers were provided fleets of security vehicles and a huge paraphernalia of security personnel who were paid out of tax payer's money. He reminisced that only last year a report had been made public that a BJP worker of Kashmir had been provided as many as ten PSOs.
Likewise many other insignificant people had been provided huge security at public expense in the most arbitrary manner purely on the whims and fancies of the helmsmen. There were several instances where huge paraphernalia of govt staff and PSOs placed at the disposal of these BJP leaders were being used by them for their personal and political gains. There were examples where PSOs and other govt employees were being used by these BJP leaders as domestic aids and for working in their agricultural fields and even for milking the cows and buffaloes in the dairy units established by these leaders.
Urging the Lt. Governor to constitute a Commission of Inquiry to probe into the involvement of Ex-MLAs and Ex-Ministers of erstwhile unethical alliance in corrupt deeds, large scale bunglings and other acts of omission and commission, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that until noose was tightened around corrupt politician-officer mafia, good and clean governance would remain a distant dream.
Mr. Rajesh Padgotra senior leader JKNPP, Mr. Surinder Chouhan (District President Jammu Rural of JKNPP) and Mr. Rakesh Verma were also present in the press conference.

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