Bharatiya Janata Party has welcomed the filing of charge sheet by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the infamous Jammu Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) Scam including the JKNC President Farooq Abdullah among the four accused. “Jammu & Kashmir has a dubious track record that so far not even a single person has been convicted in high profile corruption cases involving politician, minister or a senior bureaucrat. Hopefully, this dubious trend will be broken and the guilty punished this time,” said Brig Anil Gupta, State Spokesperson.Corruption has been one of the main causes of poor governance and disenchantment among the youth. “Despite numerous corruption cases recorded by the SVO and the Crime Branch, the big fishes continue to roam freely. In certain cases despite availability of open evidence against the accused ministers and bureaucrats, no action has been taken and cases are pending for a decade or more,” rued Brig Gupta.There is an endless list of corruption cases and scams against 11 leaders and ex-ministers of JKNC and Congress. BJP appeals to the Honourable Governor to put these cases on fast track and ensure their just conclusion without any interference of the powerful and mighty. “One of the main causes of anger and alienation among the youth in Kashmir is corruption taking demon’s shape in the state and failure of the system to act against the corrupt,” said Brig Gupta.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s report tabled in the State Legislature had exposed Congress and National Conference as “institutional beneficiaries” of the Rs 25,000-crore Roshni scam in Jammu and Kashmir.While as Congress grabbed eight Kanals of prime State land on the fashionable Residency Road and The Bund for the party-controlled Khidmat Trust, NC raised its party headquarters ‘Nawai-e-Subuh’ under the auspices of Nawai-e-Subuh Trust on the similarly grabbed State land of four Kanals.“Both the parties got the lands transferred to the two trusts under the garb of The Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act, commonly known as the ‘Roshni Act’, against peanuts, in brazen violation of rules and norms. Honourable Governor is requested that all politicians and bureaucrats involved in this Scam must be brought to book to restore people’s confidence in the rule of law,” said Brig Gupta.
Some of the scams involving high and mighty that require the attention of Governor’s administration are the BOPEE and MBBS seats scam during Omar Abdullah regime; purchase of 8-room villa by Abdul Rahim Rather in the costliest area of Dubai; 2005 multi-crore rural electrification scam involving Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed; massive recruitment scam in 2011 in Housing and Urban Development Department involving Tara Chand; multi-crore scam involving procurement of sub -standard pipes by then minister Taj Mohi-Ud-Din; grabbing of 20 kanal forest land in Shopian by Taj Mohi-Ud-Din; Taj is also involved in fake drug scam of Kashmir 2013. “In fact it is on record how Sham Lal Sharma and Taj publicly engaged against each other over allegation of corruption in their respective ministries,” said the spokesperson.Infamous JAKFED scam over 1000 crore involving Manohar Lal Sharma despite availability of open evidence is yet to be concluded. Similarly, charges have been levelled against Raman Bhalla of encroaching upon state land in Jammu while heading Revenue Department and Suman Bhagat as then Health Minister also faces corruption charges said Brig Gupta. (PTK)