Jammu, September 02 (Vijay Kumar) – BJP State President Ashok Khajuria on Wedensday said it is the NC-Congress coalition government which is responsible for the agitation on the issue of setting up of Central University. When the Union Government had sanctioned a Central University for Jammu and an IIM for Kashmir, why the leaders of both the coalition parties, including the State Chief Minister, did not stop the opening of camp office in Srinagar and issuing advertisements for making recruitments? When no one objected to sanctioning of an IIM for Kashmir, why there are so many hue and cries when Jammu gets some project from the centre?
Talking to reporters today he said it is the government which has provoked the students to take up agitational path in order to get the Central University established in Jammu. He condemned the use of force on the agitating students who are raising voice for the genuine cause. A government which does not spares even small children and injures them by resorting to brutal lathicharge is height of its inhuman and dictatorial attitude, alleged BJP Chief.
Ashok khajuria also criticized the government for trying to suppress the voice of the SRTC employees, who have not been paid their salaries continuously for four months. How can a person run his family when his pocket remains empty for months together? From where will he pay school fees of his children? Can an empty pocket person purchase medicines for his aged parents? Is it justified that a SRTC employee attends his duty for 30 days in a month but is not paid on completion of month as is the practice every where. He questioned the State Chief Minister and SRTC Minister "Can they survive if they are in government service and are deprived of salary for months together?
Extending his party’s full support to the agitating students and the SRTC employees, Ashok Khajuria advised the State CM to be humane towards the genuine demands of the students and the SRTC employees. You can not escape your responsibility by cane charging students, family members of SRTC employees, including the small children. He demanded a specific reply from the Chief Minister over the setting up of Central University in Jammu as well as payment of regular salaries to the SRTC employees.
It may be mentioned that Ten students were injured after police resorted to Lathi charge inside Government Gandhi Memorial degree college on Tuesday as they tried to come out from their college and hold protests demanding setting up of central university in Jammu region.The students were holding silent demonstrations inside the college campus when police men assembled outside the main entrance gate of the college chased them and opened lathicharge to disperse them. The students retaliated by throwing stones on policemen and the ding dong battle continued for over half an hour leading to head injuries to several students and policemen.
Meanwhile taking strong note of the police behaviour towards peaceful students demonstration leaders of the central university andolan samiti have threatened to intensify their agitation in support of their demands.
The CUAS has already invited peoples representatives from all political parties belonging to Jammu to come under one umbrella to spearhead the campign in support of the central university.Several student bodies have also condemned police action on students