BJP's 'Refugee Adhikaar Yatra', which will cover 70 cities and towns having significant population of refugees, commenced from Poonch on Thursday.
Before the start of yatra, BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma and other party leaders laid wreaths at the Brig Pritam Singh Memorial.
The yatra will pass through Rajouri, Sunderbani, Nowshera, Akhnoor, Lakhanpur, Kathua, Hiranagar and Samba and will culminate into a big public rally at RS Pura on November 1 after covering places, which have significant population of refugees from Pakistan, PoK and other areas.
The yatra is meant to highlight the plight of the refugees on account of the "Valley-centric" state government's discrimination with them.
Jugal Kishore Sharma, who is leading the yatra, while addressing the party workers at the Brig Pritam Singh Memorial, said this government is moved and motivated only to please and pander to the desires and wishes of those segments of society who are not reconciled to the accession of the state with India.
"It has shown great concern for such elements who crossed LoC to become effective in opposing integration of the state with rest of the country through gun culture and with great diligence has put in a very lucrative rehabilitation package in place for them," the state BJP chief said.
To the contrary, those unfortunate people who got uprooted in 1947, 1965, 1971 and thereafter are languishing as rootless, stateless and rightless people, he said, adding that while some of them are deprived of the basic democratic right to vote, others are without any adequate and meaningful rehabilitation scheme from the government. "The BJP has been raising the issues concerning these refugees and shall continue to do so with more vigour and intensity."
{{/usCountry}}To the contrary, those unfortunate people who got uprooted in 1947, 1965, 1971 and thereafter are languishing as rootless, stateless and rightless people, he said, adding that while some of them are deprived of the basic democratic right to vote, others are without any adequate and meaningful rehabilitation scheme from the government. "The BJP has been raising the issues concerning these refugees and shall continue to do so with more vigour and intensity."
{{/usCountry}}State BJP vice-president Chander Prakash Ganga said the Congress, NC and PDP have been making promises liberally to the refugees but have actually done nothing for them.
Yatra in-charge Rajiv Jasrotia said the recent 72-hour dharna near the border in Hiranagar was to get the attention of the nation towards the plight of the refugees. The present yatra is follow-up to the long string of party's action programmes for enforcement of the basic human and democratic rights of the refugees, he added.