JAMMU: Gulam Ali Khatana, a BJP Rajya Sabha member from J&K, is under fire for allocating a lion’s share of his MP local area development fund (MPLAD) to projects in UP than in the state he represents in the Upper House of Parliament.“What is the purpose of nominating an MP from J&K if 94% of his development funds are spent in Uttar Pradesh? This exposes the harsh truth: J&K’s representation has been reduced to symbolism, while its people are denied their rightful share,” governing National Conference spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said.Khatana, who joined the BJP in 2008 and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2022 from Jammu region, is a native of Jammu.Under the MPLAD scheme, nominated Rajya Sabha members are permitted to recommend development works in any state or district across the country. Using the scheme, Khatana recommended 139 development projects in Shahjahanpur, three in Pilibhit, one in Chandauli and one in Badaun in UP.In Jammu and Kashmir, he recommended 17 projects for Jammu district, six for Samba, one for Kathua, six for Poonch and two for Rajouri. PDP spokesperson Aditya Gupta said, “He entered Parliament from J&K, but his development funds went to UP. This is the BJP model. Votes from Jammu, funds for UP.”“Jammu wasn’t betrayed by outsiders, it has always been our own MPs and MLAs who sold our interests,” Gupta said.Khatana defended his decision. “I was nominated MP. I can recommend works in any part of the country,” he told TOI.Sadiq said that when Khatana was nominated, it was projected as a move to empower the Gujjar community.Khatana comes from the Gujjar community.
