Jammu: Gulam Ali Khatana, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha from J&K (J&K), has been criticized for allocating a major chunk of funds from his Member of Parliament Local Development Fund (MPLAD) to projects in Uttar Pradesh instead of the state he represents in the Upper House of Parliament.“If 94 per cent of a J&K MP’s development funds are spent on Uttar Pradesh, what is the purpose of nominating him? This exposes the harsh truth: J&K’s representation has been reduced to symbolism while its people have been deprived of their due share,” said Tanvir Sadiq, spokesperson of the ruling National Conference.A native of Jammu, Katana joined the BJP in 2008 and was nominated to the federal house from Jammu region in 2022.Under the MPLAD scheme, nominated members of the House of Federation can recommend development projects in any state or region across the country. Khatana recommended 139 development projects in Shahjahanpur, three in Pilibhit, one in Chandauli and one in Badaun in Uttar Pradesh using the scheme.In Jammu and Kashmir, he recommended 17 projects for Jammu region, including 6 for Samba, 1 for Kathua, 6 for Poonch and 2 for Rajouri.PDP spokesperson Aditya Gupta said, “He entered the Assembly from J&K, but his development funds went to Uttar Pradesh. This is the BJP model. Votes from Jammu, funds from Uttar Pradesh.”“Jammu has not been betrayed by outsiders, it has been our own MPs and MLAs who have betrayed our interests,” Gupta said.Catana defended his decision. “I was nominated as an MP. I can recommend works from anywhere in the country,” he told TOI.Sadiq said when Qatana was nominated, it was seen as a move to empower the Gujjar community.Katana hails from the Gujjar community.
