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Updated: Mar 19, 2019 12:48 IST

A Rashtriya Swamyamsewak Sangh (RSS) worker, the political graph of Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha MP Jugal Kishore Sharma has been on an upward trend since he forayed into politics as a Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

A two-time MLA from Nagrota before becoming the president of Jammu-Kashmir unit of BJP in 2012, luck has smiled in abundance on the 56-year-old politician over the years.

Amid the Modi-wave, Jugal defeated Congress heavyweight Madan Lal Sharma in the 2014 parliamentary elections by a margin of over 2.5-lakh votes. Madan was the two-time MP (2004 and 2009) from the same constituency before suffering the humiliating defeat.

Even as Jugal Kishore Sharma claimed he worked in the right earnest for the electors of his constituency, which has 20 assembly segments, his performance can be termed only as ‘average’.

Prime Minister’s development package for J&K gave him a shot in the arm as big projects fell in his kitty, most significant among them being the Rs 5,100crore Jammu-Poonch national highway. The work on it has been moving at a snail’s pace though.

The MP also did his bit to get Centre’s nod for the much-awaited Jammu-Poonch rail-line project for which the funds are yet to be sanctioned.

Since four border districts — Samba, Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch — are part of the Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha constituency, the residents of which have to cope with shelling and firing, Jugal’s fortunes smiled when the NDA government started constructing 14,000 safety bunkers for the residents.

Also Read | All you need to know about Jammu and Kashmir

The Centre also has plan to come up with Seema Bhawans where the border population can take refuge at the time of escalations. According to an estimate, 45,000 people across 42 villages live on the Indo-Pak border in the Jammu region.

The Rs 2,000-crore package for the Pakistan-Occupied Jammu-Kashmir (PoJK) and West Pakistan refugees under the PM’s package also benefitted Jugal.

Controversy over cremation shed

The MP courted a controversy in February last year when he reportedly released Rs 5 lakh from his MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) funds to construct a cremation shed for the Brahmin community in Chumbian Brahmana village in Bishnah. The village already had a cremation ground but the MP allegedly sanctioned the funds for another shed “exclusively for the Brahmins”.

The village comprising 120 families is evenly divided between upper castes and Dalits. “We can’t release funds for a specific community. The cremation shed was for all. The entire controversy was politically motivated,” he said.

Rivals junk MP’s claims

Jugal’s political rivals, Madan Lal Sharma of the Congress and Yashpal Sharma of the People’s Democratic Party, say he has been a big failure as an MP.

“People gave BJP 25 MLAs and two MPs from Jammu but their issues were never addressed. In my opinion, he did nothing and doesn’t even deserve two points on a scale of 10. “Inn logon ne Modi ke naam ka khaya hai aur aish ki hai. Modi ke naam pe he jeete hain yeh, inka apna kya hai (These people are milking Modi’s name and making merry. They survive on Modi’s name and have nothing of their own),” said Yashpal.

Rejecting the claims of Jugal, Yashpal said the four-laning of Jammu-Poonch has not started yet and only trees are being felled in Akhnoor. “PoJK refugees deserve proprietary rights to the land, not a meagre Rs 5.5 lakh cash assistance,” he said.

“Bunkers on the borders for the villagers to escape Pak shelling and Seema Bhawansare still proposals. Work has not started on the Poonch-Jammu rail line as well. He just befooled the people,” said Yashpal.

‘I worked in earnest and delivered’

In an interview with HT, the Jammu-Poonch Member of Parliament, Jugal Kishore Sharma said that during his tenure, he performed to the best of his abilities and didn’t miss out on anything. Excerpts:

What were the high points of your five-year term?

The long-pending issues in my constituency were never addressed by elected representatives of other parties who represented this segment in the past. We initiated work on the Jammu-Poonch national highway for which Rs 5,100 crore were sanctioned. The PM announced a Rs 2,000-crore package for the PoJK refugees and each family is being given Rs 5.5 lakh. The compensation for those get killed in Pak firing on the border has been raised from Rs 1 lakh to to Rs 5 lakh and government job to the family. We sanctioned Rs 133 crore for the upgrade of Jammu railway station.

One thing you wished to do as an MP, but couldn’t…why?

I think, I performed to the best of my abilities and I don’t think that I have missed out on anything.

Would you like to contest again? Why should the people re-elect you?

I travelled the length and breadth of my constituency and tried to resolve the problems of the people. I would like to contest again if the party gives me the ticket, and the people will certainly give their mandate in my favour on the basis of my work.

How was your experience in the Parliament?

I learnt a lot in the Parliament and tried my best to raise the issues of my people. I acted as a bridge between the Centre and my people.

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