Jammu: Opposition BJP and Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) legislators Tuesday  held protest in the Legislative Assembly and staged walkout demanding setting up of a Dogri channel in the state.
BJP members led by legislative party leader Ashok Khajuria and JKNPP MLAs led by Harsh Dev Singh, besides Jammu State Morcha member Ashwani Kumar, resorted to protests in the Assembly over their demand for starting the channel on the lines of Kashmir and Ladakhi channels.
They alleged that Dogri culture is being ignored by the government.
“We demanded a Dogri TV Channel on the pattern of DD Kashir channel to project, preserve and propagate culture, history and language of Dogras in the state,” JKNPP member Balwant Mankotia told reporters here.
Kumar also raised the demand for Dogri channel and said that government has been neglecting the Jammu region, also known as Dogri region, and the Dogri culture.
As they sought reply from the government but failed to get a response, opposition members staged walkout from the House. Meanwhile, demanding financial package for rehabilitation of refugees of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and West Pakistan, Congress legislators staged a walkout from Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council.
Replying to the Call Attention Notice by Congress members Ravinder Kumar Sharma, Naresh Kumar Gupta and B R Kundal in the Upper House, Minister of State for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Aijaz Ahmed Khan said that government had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of G D Wadhwa for examining the demands of these refugees.
He said the committee had submitted a report which is under the consideration of the state Cabinet.
Khan further said that the state government, in consultation with representatives of displaced persons, has prepared a report on financial package which will be submitted to the Government of India in due course of time.
“The financial package covers all the demands raised by these displaced people,” he said.
Sharma charged the government for failure to speed up the process to ensure justice to refugees.
He later staged walkout from the House with Gupta and Kundal.

KR Desk