On Thursday, many BJP workers led by Kalakote MLA Randhir Singh protested by showing black flags to Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary. They accused him of ignoring the MLA during a ceremony for laying the foundation stone of a bridge in Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir. Police had to step in to stop clashes between BJP and National Conference workers as Singh and his supporters entered the event where Choudhary was supposed to lay the foundation stone for a 45-meter motorable bridge at Mangrote over Sadda Nallah.
Randhir Singh and his supporters were upset because his name was not included on the foundation stone as the local MLA. He claimed that he was not invited to the event, even though it was his right as the local representative to be part of it.
The BJP legislator and his supporters disrupted the venue, shouted slogans against the deputy chief minister and the ruling National Conference, and waved black flags.
There were scenes of chaos, verbal arguments, and minor scuffles during the government function held in Broh village of Kalakote sub-division. However, the police managed to keep the situation from getting worse.
Randhir Singh said, “It is unfortunate that the deputy chief minister doesn’t understand protocol. He not only sidelined the local MLA in this function, which falls under my constituency but also failed to invite me.”
He also alleged that Choudhary instructed the engineers not to include his name on the foundation stone. “This is a breach of privilege as the department should invite the local MLA to such projects. I want to remind him about protocol,” the BJP leader stated.
In response to the protests, Choudhary expressed disappointment and said it is unfortunate that some people “choose to politicize such issues.”
