Jammu, Mar 26 (UNI) Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and BJP Candidate for Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday said that while Congress led governments in the past exploited the Gujjar community for their vote bank interests, it is for the first time after independence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the Gujjar community in Jammu and Kashmir priority along with political status by providing political reservation for contesting elections and also given them dignity by holding them in the same esteem as any other section of the society.