Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 26: Senior BJP leader and Jammu North candidate, Sham Lal Sharma, asserted that the time has come for Jammu to elect a Dogra Hindu Chief Minister, marking a historic first for Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at public meetings in Akhnoor and Jammu North, Sharma emphasized the strong wave of support for the BJP in the region, with the public’s mood clearly indicating a BJP victory in the current elections.
“It has been a decades-old dream of the people of Jammu to have a Hindu Chief Minister, and now is the time to make that a reality,” Sharma said, stressing that Jammu residents are ready to deliver a decisive mandate for the BJP.
Criticizing the Congress, National Conference (NC), and PDP, Sharma accused them of exploiting power, discriminating against Jammu, and promoting communalism and nepotism.
He noted that these parties treated the people of Jammu as second-class citizens, depriving them of basic rights and development for decades.
With the abrogation of Article 370, Sharma said the dominance of valley-centric politics is no longer acceptable, and the people of Jammu are ready to rewrite history by electing their own Chief Minister.
Sharma also blamed Congress and NC for spreading militancy and fostering unrest, leading to decades of violence and destruction in the region.
He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts in restoring peace and warned that the BJP would not allow a return to the era of militancy and instability.
He urged voters to reject Congress, NC, and PDP in the elections, calling for support to the BJP for complete peace, development, and grassroots democracy.
In a significant development, Congress leader Surinder Singh Bandral joined the BJP with his supporters, pledging to strengthen the party at the grassroots level.
Sharma welcomed Bandral, expressing confidence that the BJP would grow stronger with their support.