Anti encroachment drive must begin from corrupt BJP Ministers, MLAs and MPs: Harsh

NPP leaders gherao Div Com Office, Ravinder Raina’s House

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: “Charity begins at home” said Harsh Dev Singh, JKNPP Chairman and former Minister, while pointing towards the large scale encroachments of State lands, Forest lands, JDA and Municipality lands besides illegal constructions on army lands by BJP Ministers, MLAs and MPs.
Calling for eviction of such leaders before victimizing the poor marginalized and other landless people, the activists of Panthers Party led by Harsh Dev on Tuesday held massive demonstrations and Gheraoed the office of Divisional Commissioner as also the official residence of BJP President Ravinder Raina.
Shouting slogans against the BJP government for double standards, the protestors sought retrieval of illegally occupied lands from the BJP Ministers, MLAs and registration of FIRs against them for such fraudulent encroachments.
The protestors raised slogans of “Div Com Jawab do, Jawab do”, “Gareebon Ke Saath Zulm Nahin Sahenge, Nahin Sahenge”, “Ravinder Raina Bahar Niklo, Bahar Niklo”, “Anurag Thakur Jawab Do, Jawab Do” etc.
Police contingents in hundreds reached the Div Com Office and later at Ravinder Raina’s residence to stop the intrepid and irresistible Panthers who continued with their demonstrations at both the places for hours. Neither Divisional Commissioner not Ravinder Raina came out of their offices and houses to face the Panthers.
Revealing the names of several encroacher Ministers and MLAs of BJP, Singh said that they were being protected and sheltered by the administration due to an unholy nexus which existed between the saffron leadership and corrupt officers.
Several officers were trying to please their political masters by refusing to divulge their names despite the latter having encroached lands valuing crores with several additional crores having been incurred on raising palatial bunglows and commercial complexes on such illegally occupied lands.
Seeking the initiation of anti encroachment drive from the top by booking the encroacher Ministers, MLAs and MPs, Harsh said that the movement would be successful only if the big fish having usurped State and Forest lands worth millions and trillions are evicted by the administration and punished under law before laying their hands upon the poor and the landless.
Not only the encroachers of prime lands needed to be dispossessed and booked for grabbing govt lands but action was also required to be initiated against those officers who facilitated such large scale encroachments in circumvention of laws by colluding with the encroachers.
He said that 18 lakhs kanal of govt land could not have been usurped by encroachers in the state without the backing and connivance of rulers with political and other influential persons holding prime lands without any lawful authority. He said that govt had deliberately avoided to put the names of encroacher politicians Ministers, MLAs etc of BJP on website despite the directions of High Court and was concentrating on eviction of poor and otherwise landless people which was highly condemnable.
With several top politicians, Ex-Ministers, MLAs, MPs and several bureaucrats having encroached huge tracts of govt lands as revealed in media and through RTI besides through AQs in Assembly, a beginning was required to be made by evicting these mighty and powerful people who had abused their position and authority in the past to loot the state and its resources.
He cautioned to intensify the movement in case appropriate action under law was not initiated against the corrupt BJP Ministers and MLAs still holding govt lands worth crores.