Jammu, Aug 31 : Dogra Swabhiman Sangthan President Choudhary Lal Singh on Wednesday said he will support former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad if he demands statehood for Jammu with Article 371 of the Constitution.
After quitting the Congress party, Azad is expected to officially launch a political party at a public rally here on September 5.
So far, nearly 80 Congress leaders including former Ministers and legislators have quit the Jammu and Kashmir Congress in support of Azad.
“We have already been fighting for the rights of Jammu people for the last four years and all those including BJP, if they want to join our campaign for statehood status to Jammu, they are welcome,” Singh told reporters here.
Asked if his party will support the front coming up in Jammu and Kashmir to be headed by Azad, he said: “We have no reservations provided Azad raises the voice of statehood status to Jammu with Article 371 provision.”
After resigning from the Congress, Lal Singh in 2014 joined the BJP. In 2019, he formed the Dogra Swabhiman Sangthan.
Singh said that despite having more area and population as compared to Kashmir, the aspirations of the people were never fulfilled.
“Like Ladakh is fighting for its rights and demanding statehood, we too want a separate identity. People of Jammu had high hopes from the BJP but the party ditched them,” said Singh, who was also a former Minister as well as an MP.
Singh also lambasted the government for appointing IAS and IPS officers from outside under AGMUT and ignoring the local KPS and KAS officers.
“All universities in Jammu region have Vice Chancellors from outside. Are the educated people of Jammu not capable and efficient to take decisions or run the administration?”
