Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 2

BJP leaders, including ministers, did not attend the last rites of any of the eight civilians, including two minors, killed in Pakistani shelling on Tuesday, fearing reactions from angry border residents.

When Mara Ram, 60, a resident of Rangoor Camp of the Ramgarh sector of Samba district, was cremated at his native place, local MLA Chander Prakash Ganga, who is also a Cabinet minister, was in Ramgarh, a few kilometres from the cremation ground, but he did not attend the last rites of his voter.

The minister was in Ramgarh for more than an hour but was reportedly advised by his supporters not to come to Rangoor because anger was brewing among the border residents.

State BJP president Sat Sharma said all BJP ministers and MLAs were directed by the party leadership to attend the last rites of the victims of Pakistani firing in their respective constituencies.

As the border shelling goes unabated, there is a feeling among border dwellers that the BJP is using them as cannon fodder to reap political benefits in other parts of the country.

“We are being used as cannon fodder by the BJP for political reasons. During the 2014 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the BJP had made a number of promises to the border residents but not even a single promise was fulfilled,” said Capt Subash Chander (retd) of Rangoor village.

Echoing similar sentiments, Behari Lal of Rangoor said that after getting votes, the BJP had abandoned them. “Our family members are getting killed but there is no one to whom we can tell our grievances,” he said.

The Opposition has also trained its guns on the BJP for “brazenly” using border residents as “cannon fodder” to get political benefits in other parts of the country.

“The killing of border people is going unabated during the last over one month but neither the state nor the Central government has taken any step to protect these hapless people,” said former minister and senior Congress leader Sham Lal Sharma.