| GCPF-JK holds meeting, demands reforms, equal rights for all | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 5: The General Category People's Front, Jammu Kashmir (GCPF-JK), held a meeting under the chairmanship of Raj Kumar Banathia, the Front's chairman. During the meeting, Prof. Yash Paul Sanson, President of the Front, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the current administration and its policies, which, he alleged, had brought miseries to the people on all fronts.
Prof. Sanson accused the L.G. administration of imposing heavy taxes, fees, fines, tolls, and service charges, including increased water and electricity bills, leading to difficulties for people in managing their day-to-day expenses. He highlighted the unprecedented inflation and skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, affecting the common people severely.
The Front expressed severe resentment against the L.G. administration's harsh anti-people decisions, which they believed would harm the BJP in elections. The Front demanded the provision of 300 units of free electricity to every household in Jammu and Kashmir UT, similar to Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. They also urged for pensioners to be exempt from income tax, as pensions are considered deferred wages and not income for any services rendered.
Additionally, the GCPF condemned the Union Government for imposing GST on food grains and essential commodities used regularly by the common people. They demanded the withdrawal of GST on food grains, stating that the burden of new taxes on essential items would negatively impact the poor and middle-class citizens and could affect the BJP in upcoming elections.
Prof. Sanson further condemned the continuation of reservations without any review, emphasizing that implementing and providing reservations based on the Mandal Commission report was not justifiable as it was outdated and didn't reflect the current socio-economic and political conditions of the country. The Front called for bold steps to eradicate what they referred to as the social evil of Reservation.
Som Nath Sharma, General Secretary of the Front, appealed to the Government of India to end casteism and promote principles of equality, justice, liberty, and dignity for all citizens, removing all restrictions imposed on the application of basic fundamental constitutional and democratic rights. He called upon unreserved category people to reflect on their predicament and stand against divisive vote bank politics and appeasement policies.
V.K Sharma and Bhushan Pargal, both Vice Presidents of the Front, emphasized the Front's agenda, which focused on the welfare of all people without considering caste, class, or religion. They criticized the Modi Government for failing to address the highest unemployment rate in 45 years and the crumbling Indian economy, and pleaded for respite from caste-based discrimination and biased practices.
During the meeting, participants, including Dr. Bansi Lal, Surinder Kumar, Jagdish Dogra, Ravi Sahni, and Gopal Dass Verma, presented their views on various issues. R.K. Banathia thanked all the participants and hinted that the Front might enter electoral politics in the future. |
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