RS Pura (Jammu South): The newly-carved assembly constituency of RS Pura post-delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir is located on the Indo-Pakistan border and not surprisingly the issues that dominate the political discourse in this seat pertains to the rights of refugees who settled here, the drug smuggling that is affecting the youth and high unemployment which has led to people looking for livelihood in other parts of the country and abroad.
Congress has fielded Raman Bhalla, a veteran politician who has contested six assembly polls (and won two) as well as two Lok Sabha polls. With the seat having a sizable Sikh population, BJP has fielded its national secretary Narinder Singh Raina, who is contesting his first election. The buzz is that Bhalla will sail through, especially because the BJP had trailed in this assembly segment in the recent Lok Sabha election. The town is named after Maharaja Ranbir Singh who founded it and is famous for producing Basmati rice.
Raina has big plans for this constituency and its voters. “This is a border district. We want to develop this place as a tourist spot like the Wagah border which will lead to an inflow of tourists and help the local economy. There is also a plan to establish a startup hub here,” Raina told ET.
The BJP leader, who holds a PhD degree and is an academic, emphasises that abrogation of Article 370 has brought about a big change and the union territory is on its way to progress.
“Only Rs 17,000 crore worth of investment had come to Jammu and Kashmir from 1947 to 2014 but in the last ten years alone it was worth Rs 25,000 crore… There is peace in Jammu. Schools are functioning normally. There is no stone pelting. SCs and STs have got the benefits of reservation,” Raina said.
On his agenda is the regularisation of employment of daily wagers. He intends to put a clause for outsiders setting up industries here that they will give a certain percentage of jobs to locals.
Both Bhalla and Raina express concern over the drug smuggling that takes place in the area and is now affecting the youth. “We will build dispensaries to help drug addicts. Laws will be made stricter to give the severest punishment to drug peddlers. This has been mentioned in the BJP manifesto as well,” Raina said.
Bhalla alleges there has been no respite to the drug menace under Governor’s Rule and since the abrogation of special status. “The heroin smuggling racket is worth Rs 600 crore and the present dispensation has failed to check it,” Bhalla told ET.
The Congress candidate alleges that the central rule has not been able to deal with narco-terrorism that he alleges is growing in Jammu and Kashmir. “Terrorism has not been checked. Jammu used to be safe earlier but now terrorism has come here too. Use of drones from across the border to smuggle weapons and drugs is growing. There has been an increase in crime and the law and order situation has worsened,” Bhalla said.
His agenda is to help the refugees from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir who have settled here. “During UPA rule, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced a package of Rs 30 lakh for them. This government has given only Rs 5.5 lakh,” he said.
An estimated 70% of the voters in this constituency are refugees, many of whom migrated during the partition in 1947. The high electricity bills in homes, getting old age pension and widow pension and opening the schools which have been shut down, leaving vacancies of teachers unfilled, are his other priorities.
Bhalla appears to be in a strong position and a sizable section of Sikh voters also pledge their support to him. Raina is making all efforts to score a win in his first attempt.
Congress has fielded Raman Bhalla, a veteran politician who has contested six assembly polls (and won two) as well as two Lok Sabha polls. With the seat having a sizable Sikh population, BJP has fielded its national secretary Narinder Singh Raina, who is contesting his first election. The buzz is that Bhalla will sail through, especially because the BJP had trailed in this assembly segment in the recent Lok Sabha election. The town is named after Maharaja Ranbir Singh who founded it and is famous for producing Basmati rice.
Raina has big plans for this constituency and its voters. “This is a border district. We want to develop this place as a tourist spot like the Wagah border which will lead to an inflow of tourists and help the local economy. There is also a plan to establish a startup hub here,” Raina told ET.
The BJP leader, who holds a PhD degree and is an academic, emphasises that abrogation of Article 370 has brought about a big change and the union territory is on its way to progress.
“Only Rs 17,000 crore worth of investment had come to Jammu and Kashmir from 1947 to 2014 but in the last ten years alone it was worth Rs 25,000 crore… There is peace in Jammu. Schools are functioning normally. There is no stone pelting. SCs and STs have got the benefits of reservation,” Raina said.
On his agenda is the regularisation of employment of daily wagers. He intends to put a clause for outsiders setting up industries here that they will give a certain percentage of jobs to locals.
Both Bhalla and Raina express concern over the drug smuggling that takes place in the area and is now affecting the youth. “We will build dispensaries to help drug addicts. Laws will be made stricter to give the severest punishment to drug peddlers. This has been mentioned in the BJP manifesto as well,” Raina said.
Bhalla alleges there has been no respite to the drug menace under Governor’s Rule and since the abrogation of special status. “The heroin smuggling racket is worth Rs 600 crore and the present dispensation has failed to check it,” Bhalla told ET.
The Congress candidate alleges that the central rule has not been able to deal with narco-terrorism that he alleges is growing in Jammu and Kashmir. “Terrorism has not been checked. Jammu used to be safe earlier but now terrorism has come here too. Use of drones from across the border to smuggle weapons and drugs is growing. There has been an increase in crime and the law and order situation has worsened,” Bhalla said.
His agenda is to help the refugees from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir who have settled here. “During UPA rule, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced a package of Rs 30 lakh for them. This government has given only Rs 5.5 lakh,” he said.
An estimated 70% of the voters in this constituency are refugees, many of whom migrated during the partition in 1947. The high electricity bills in homes, getting old age pension and widow pension and opening the schools which have been shut down, leaving vacancies of teachers unfilled, are his other priorities.
Bhalla appears to be in a strong position and a sizable section of Sikh voters also pledge their support to him. Raina is making all efforts to score a win in his first attempt.
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