JAMMU: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Abhijeet Jasrotia today claimed that there were ‘apparent incongruities’ in the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) concerns regarding lithium resources in the union territory.
In a statement, Jasrotia stated that ‘the lithium resources in question are located in Jammu, not Kashmir, reinforcing the idea that the world’s scope extends beyond the borders of Kashmir’. He further underscored the ‘equal relevance and significance of Jammu in the context of Jammu & Kashmir’.
The PDP had earlier expressed concern that ‘limitless mining will inevitably damage the ecology and economy’.
“As Indian companies gear up to bid for the treasure trove of Kashmir’s lithium mines, a feeling of doom has gripped the region. If mining contracts are given to outsiders, limitless mining will inevitably damage the ecology and economy, but not before displacing local populations. The extraction of lithium not only contaminates fresh water sources, but its harmful toxins also leach into fertile lands, making them unsuitable for agriculture. And after causing all this damage, the economic benefits will go to outsiders,” the PDP statement had said.
Meanwhile, Jasrotia urged the PDP to remember their ‘involvement in the Congress and National Conference-sponsored Roshni scam’. He accused the party of being ‘complicit in a scheme that primarily benefited a select few political entities, leaving the innocent people in remote areas, such as Anantnag, without electricity for seven decades post-independence’.
