NC rejected by Jammu, does not represent local ethos: BJP

'The NC tally reached an all-time low in State and it can’t claim that it represents Jammu'

JAMMU: In an escalating war of words, the BJP today hit out at the National Conference for calling itself the "voice of Dogras" of Jammu, saying NC been totally rejected by the people of the region, and it doesn’t represent the ethos of the area.
"NC been rejected totally by the people of Jammu region, and it does not represent the ethos of the region. A clear evidence of this is the way the party was decimated in the previous elections of the state legislative assembly," Arun Kumar Gupta, BJP spokesman, said here today.
NC provincial chief, Devender Rana had yesterday said that as representative of the Dogra people of Jammu, there should be a referendum among people of Jammu on Article 35A.
Taking a dig at Rana, Gupta said, "the tally of the NC has reached an all-time low and it is odd to claim that it represents Jammu.”
"The claims made by Devinder Rana on Article 35A are not true as the Jammu region does not support this provision at all. His claims with regard to this provision are totally misleading and spurious," Gupta said.
The BJP leader said "the issue is pending its disposal in the Supreme Court whether Article 35-A needs to be scrapped from the Constitution. That is the issue to be decided in the highest court of the land and will be properly scrutinised, he pointed out.
When an issue of such great sensitivity is in the court, to claim that Jammu supports this provision is misleading and false, he added.