Jammu And Kashmir: Ghulam Nabi Azad Vows To Pass Laws To Bar Outsiders From Purchasing Land If Voted To Power

Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have exclusive rights to the Union Territory's resources.

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad waves at supporters during a public meeting at Barnoti in Kathua district

Source : PTI

Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said that if his party comes to power, it will pass laws in the assembly to prevent "outsiders" from purchasing land in Jammu & Kashmir. Addressing a public meeting in Barnoti of Kathua district in Jammu & Kashmir, Azad argued that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have exclusive rights to the Union Territory's resources.

“The land is meant for people and when it is taken away from them then what is the use of it. No government has the right to snatch the livelihood of people, rather it is duty-bound to offer more economic opportunities to them,” he said as quoted by PTI.

Azad criticized the present administration, claiming that its promises of creating job opportunities for the youth had failed, and that it was taking away land from the locals. He stated that no government has the right to take away people's livelihoods, and that it is the government's responsibility to offer more economic opportunities to the people.

"If our party comes to power, we will ensure that jobs and land are protected for the local people. We will pass the laws in the state assembly to bar outsiders from purchasing land here and securing jobs if elected to power," he said.

Azad highlighted that although the current government has done some good things, including benefits for the people, all of it was nullified by taking anti-people decisions such as evicting individuals from their land, imposing property tax, and awarding contracts to outsiders.

Azad assured that if his party comes to power, it will guarantee that jobs and land are protected for the local people, and that it will pass laws in the state assembly to prohibit outsiders from purchasing land and obtaining jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.

Azad further slammed the administration for granting land to refugees from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 1965 without giving them ownership rights. He demanded that the administration provide compensation to farmers whose crops were damaged due to excessive rainfall.

Ghulam Nabi Azad Reacts On Rahul Gandhi's Disqualification

While reacting on Rahul Gandhi's exclusion from the Lok Sabha, Azad said that Rahul's disqualification from the Lok Sabha was a "wrong thing" and does not bode well for democracy.

In a criminal defamation case filed in 2019, Gandhi was given a sentence of two years in prison on Thursday for making the remark that "why all thieves have Modi surname." As soon as he was found guilty in the case, he was barred from serving in the Lok Sabha. 

"I am against this, whether he is Rahul Gandhi or Lalu Prasad Yadav or any other MP or MLA. It is against natural justice that on one side a judge delivered a judgement and on the other the MP or MLA is disqualified," Azad told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Kathua district.

"Earlier, the rule was that he or she won't be disqualified till the last court does not award him punishment. There are 20 steps before reaching the last court. This does not go well with the democracy," the former Congress leader said.

"Earlier Lalu Prasad Yadav was disqualified and now Rahul Gandhi. This way, the entire parliament and assemblies will become vacant," he said, adding, "There should be a separate yardstick for political leaders."

Congress leaders and workers staged protests across the country on Sunday in response to Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the government of "trying to silence" a "martyr's son" for speaking out.