NPP delegation to meet central leaders over J-K row

The National Panthers Party (NPP) on Friday said a party delegation would be meeting central leaders in Delhi to apprise them of some of the immediate concerns of the people in the wake of the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir.

The NPP team, comprising of former legislators and some senior leaders, would discuss among other things the desirability of enactment of domicile laws so as to protect the land of state subjects from getting into the hands of outside land mafia, NPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh said in a statement here.

The team will also demand to further protect the interests of the local youth in the employment, he added.

Singh said the delegation would be meeting various central leaders from Saturday onwards, who have already been requested to grant audience to the NPP members.

He said the NPP team would invite the attention of the central leadership about the fallout of the latest development and certain "genuine concerns" being expressed by the people.

The NPP delegation, besides seeking withdrawal of restrictions on internet services in the Jammu region, would apprise the Union government and the President about the "wrongful confinement" of Jammu-based leaders who had been placed under house arrest without any justifiable reasons, Singh said.

Pointing towards the uncertainty created over the issue of delimitation, the NPP leader said it stood for appropriate legislation to increase the number of seats of the Jammu region so that the issue of "political imbalance" between the two regions was addressed in the right perspective.

He said there were some "infirmities and ambiguities" in the J&K Reorganization Act which shall also be discussed.

"Downgrading of state to Union Territory shall also be discussed and agitated. The demotion of the erstwhile Dogra state which was created more than 150 years ago hurt the sentiments of the people, especially the Dogras, which would be vociferously projected before the centre, including the President of India and Union ministers," he said.

Singh said the party favours two different public service commissions and services selections boards for the two regions -- Jammu and Kashmir.