BJP accuses National Conference of hoodwinking people on new domicile rules

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Saturday accused the National Conference of “hoodwinking” the people over the new domicile rules and said the campaign unleashed by the party over the issue is going to “boomerang”.

It said the “biased and discriminatory set of rules” under the erstwhile separate Constitution of J and K “stand buried deep down the earth for good.”

"The laws and rules under Articles 370 and 35A are history now. Anyone barking upon those rules is simply trying to hoodwink the public opinion," in-charge J-K BJP Department of Political Affairs and Kashmiri pandit leader Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo said.

The campaign unleashed by the NC on domicile issue is going to “boomerang”, he added.

The NC on Friday had opposed the “unconstitutional and anti-people process” of grant of domicile certificates to the people not originally from Jammu and Kashmir and said the measure is aimed at disempowering the permanent residents politically and economically.

The NC statement came soon after a purported domicile certificate issued to senior IAS officer from Bihar, Navin Kumar Choudhary, who has been serving in Jammu and Kashmir government for the past 26 years, went viral on social media.

The government notified the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, on May 18 this year and allowed different categories of non-locals, including non-local government employees, to register for domicile certificates.

As per the new domicile law, non-permanent residents who have residency proof of at least 15 years in J-K are entitled to get domicile certificates. Prior to the nullification of Article 370 and Article 35A, only state subjects were allowed to buy land and apply for government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.

Chrungoo said the NC leaders should stand out as "exemplary" and leave “hypocrisy” now.

"I advise such leaders of NC to first dispose of their assets, land and properties in various parts of the rest of India and lead by example. You cannot have specific privileges for J&K residents at the cost of common Indians.

"Indian constitution guarantees equal rights and opportunities to all its citizens irrespective of region, religion, caste and gender. The biased and discriminatory set of rules under the erstwhile separate constitution of J&K stands buried deep down the earth for good," he said in a statement here.

The arguments put forth by the NC leaders in this connection demand that the politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and other influential residents of the erstwhile state of J&K should immediately leave their landholdings, business share, lucrative jobs and palatial flats in other important cities and states of rest of India, the BJP leader said.

"Even students from Kashmir engaged in educational, technical, professional and vocational trainings in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur and Hyderabad will have to wind up their pursuits as it is tantamount to divesting the local people of their political, economic and professional rights there," he said.

Chrungoo said the NC leaders are trying to “exploit” the sentiments of the people in Kashmir, and "I further advise them to ask their cadres not to apply for domicile certificates as a first measure step and thus prove their sincerity and honesty".

"They should not propagate an illegal opinion that the permanent resident certificates are valid documents. These PRCs lost their validity on August 5-6, 2019, when Article 370 was nullified by Parliament by a huge vote. However, these PRCs can be produced as documentary proof to get the domicile certificate issued. The days of one-way traffic are over", the BJP leader said.