Why double standards, asked Dr Daljit Singh Cheema of Shirmani Akali Dal.
Chandigarh:
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today denounced what he called the central government’s “double standard” on the property rights of citizens in various states.
In a firmly worded statement, SAD Senior Vice President Dr Daljit Singh Cheema strongly opposed the contradiction of granting property rights to foreigners in Jammu and Kashmir and denying them to foreigners. “farmers of Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan”.
He was referring to the notification released by the central government on Tuesday allowing residents of any state to purchase urban land and real estate in Jammu and Kashmir. Previously, only residents of the Himalayan state had this right.
“It … smacks of strong community prejudices. Isn’t it strange that anyone can buy and own property, including farmland, in the Punjab and now in J and K, where the two main minority communities of the country are in a majority, the Punjabis are denied the same rights in other states, including Gujarat and Rajasthan, ”said Dr Cheema.
He questioned why no Indian citizen is allowed to buy farmland in Himachal Pradesh, citing the complications non-natives face on this front. “Isn’t Himachal an integral part of the country?” asked the head of the SAD.
Dr Cheema said the Punjabis problem is particularly serious in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The Akali leader also said that Punjabi has been denied official language status in Kashmir despite being spoken by a very significant number of Kashmiris.
He noted that there is a strong cultural affinity, almost linguistic uniformity and geographic contiguity between Punjab and Kashmir.
“For these good reasons, if any non-Kashmiri citizens have the first claim to property rights in Kashmir, it is the Punjabis,” said Dr Cheema.
