Attempt to change J-K's demography under pretext of giving land to homeless people: Mehbooba

PDP president Mehboba Mufti on Wednesday accused the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor’s Administration of importing slums and poverty into the erstwhile state under the pretext of providing housing to homeless people, calling it an attempt to change the demography of the union territory.

”The LG made an announcement about giving land to 1.99 lakh landless people in JK. Doubts and concerns have come to the fore as to who these landless people in Jammu and Kashmir are. According to the figures of the central government placed before Parliament, there are only 19,000 homeless families in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mufti told reporters here. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the Jammu and Kashmir administration has started providing 150 square yard plots to landless families for the construction of their houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY). ”The rural development department has identified 1.83 lakh families who do not have their own houses. We are working on it. It is a step that will not only provide a house to them but transform their lives,” he had said, claiming that plots to 2,711 landless families across the union territory have already been allotted.

Mufti said it seems to be an attempt to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir in order to increase the BJP vote bank. ”Who are these two lakh families? Even if there are only five persons per family, it accounts for a population of 10 lakh,” she added. The former chief minister further asked the government why did it not give five ‘marla’ land to Kashmiri Pandits who have been living in Jammu in one-room sets for the past 30 years. ”There are thousands of Kashmiri Pandits living in Jammu. Did you give them 5 marlas? Why not?” she asked. The PDP president alleged that Jammu and Kashmir and its resources, including land and jobs, were being treaty as a ”war booty”. ”Jammu and Kashmir is a green belt, they are turning it into a slum. Instead of improving the place, they are importing slums and poverty. The good thing is that jammu has started realising the dangers of this move. It will run over Jammu before reaching Kashmir,” she said. Mufti said by bringing in 10 lakh people from other parts of the country into Jammu and Kashmir, the government was trying to provoke the people of the union territory. ”When they bringing 10 lakh people from outside, why do they want to provoke people of Jammu and Kashmir?” she asked. The PDP president said the people of Jammu and Kashmir should follow in the footsteps of Ladakh by resisting these attempts.

”Ladakh people have been demanding inclusion in the Sixth Schedule for protection of land rights and jobs. I salute the people of Ladakh for deciding to launch non-cooperation movement from July 15 against any investments in tourism. We will support the people of Ladakh,” she said.

Mufti said the various moves taken by the Centre in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 was an attempt to ”unpeople” the place. ”What you are doing is an attempt to unpeople Jammu and Kashmir. You are taking back leased property from locals and giving it to outsiders. It is surprising that the day SC decided to hear the petitions challenging the revocation fof Article 370, the next day you come up with this order of landless people. I appeal to the people of Kashmir and Jammu to unite and rise just like the people of Ladakh,” she said.