At relief camp, Union minister’s ‘banana politics’ backfires

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 26

Uprooted from their houses due to continued Pakistan shelling, border dwellers on Saturday faced another “humiliation” when Jitendra Singh, Union Minister in the PMO, tried to placate them by distributing bananas and biscuits to mark the completion of four years of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

Singh, who happens to be their representative in the Lok Sabha, visited the Hiranagar relief camp with local leaders and officers and distributed “refreshment” among displaced people who have taken shelter in a school.

However, this proved counterproductive as the border residents raised anti-BJP and anti-minister slogans at the relief camp to express their resentment against the failure of BJP-led government at the Centre and the Union Minister to ensure their safety and security in the last four years.

It all happened when the Union Minister, accompanied by Health Minister Devinder Manyal, Hiranagar MLA Kuldeep Raj, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Hemant Kumar and other officers reached Government Higher Secondary School, Hiranagar, to meet the people from border, who had fled their homes following intense Pakistan shelling.

Immediately after his arrival at the relief camp, the minister asked the officials accompanying him to distribute bananas and biscuits among them.

Border dwellers, however, felt offended with this “banana politics” and asked him about the promises of his government that five marla plots would be allotted to border residents at safer places.

“Four years ago, you and your government had promised that five marla plots would be given to us to ensure our safety, but nothing has been achieved so far,” women from Londi, a border village, said.

The minister admitted that it was his “initiative” to have plots for border residents at safer places, but the project was shelved following the concerns and requests of security forces.

“The project has been shelved on the request of security forces as they had concerns that it could lead to migration from the border. We had to respect the forces and their request was paramount to us. Security forces favoured construction of bunkers and small houses to deal with the situation. The construction of bunkers has not been taken up because of the present situation on the border,” Singh said while addressing the border dwellers.

One of the villagers, however, confronted the minister, asking him to give an assurance on the safety and security of border residents. As the minister did not give ear to his concern and left the relief camp, the border villagers staged a protest and chanted anti-minister and anti-BJP slogans.

“He did not listen to our problems. He came and distributed two bananas each among the affected people. Was he there to distribute bananas or listen to our grievances? We want permanent solution to our problems and not bananas,” said Bharat Bhushan Sharma, vice-president, Border Welfare Committee.