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| Dogra rhetorical: BJP's insignia for Jammu boomerangs | | While Pandora's Box has more to reveal, party likely to hibernate soon | | Kunal Shrivatsa
JAMMU, June 17: As BJP embarks upon shrieking echoes tactic on Dogra rhetoric after facing Chief Minister's fallout on party's position of being turbantor leaders seeking refuge in his office chamber and pleading petty transfers , postings and government seats for their kins, Jammuities allegedly seem to take it as a distress call.
The clamour may have gained the momentum on Jammu's milieu, but for BJP's own deportment since its inception in the state has raised a serious issue as to when the party itself inched any Dogra cause forward to any logical conclusions.
Contrary to it, many precedents have surfaced that has dragged the party itself into scanner for being an institution alone serving its own causes , leave aside any Dogra pursuit taken up by it in the years bygone.
As Jammu alone have been the 'bread and butter' for BJP's brand of politics, the saffron party looses no opportunity in projecting itself as the 'sole proprietor' of Dogra honour and mince no words in attacking Kashmir based leadership for their alleged 'oppression' and 'discrimination' to Dogras.
But, the party before pointing fingers towards others on the issue of Dogra pride should first self introspect as to why it failed on several occasions in the past to 'protect and maintain' the dignity of being a Dogra.
Going by the BJP's standpoint that Omar Abdullah's remarks have hurt the sentiments of lakhs of Dogras then the party must clarify that where was that Dogra honour and self-esteem when a Dogra candidate representing the saffron party was deprived a berth in the Upper House of the State Legislature due to the cross voting of 7 out of its 11 MLAs in the election for the MLC seats in April 2011.
Who can forget that the official candidate of BJP Thakur Ranjit Singh had to eat a humble pie as he was polled only four votes despite the fact that party had 11 members in the State Assembly thereby making it quite evident that seven BJP legislators had cross-voted in violation of the party whip.
Subsequently, the BJP expelled the seven party MLAs on suspicion of voting for candidates of Congress-National Conference alliance, however, in January this year five of them were brought back to party fold.
BJP leadership, perhaps, thinks that the act of its party legislators was indeed a moment to feel proud and to rejoice for Dogras?
The cross voting issue is not a case in isolation as there are several other instances when the state BJP leaders failed to come upto the expectations of Jammu people.
The same BJP was on the wrong side of the fence in February 2009 when some of its MLAs defected and voted in favour of Farooq Abdullah, who was contesting a Rajya Sabha poll.
Another case in point, where BJP leaders despite making tall claims were nowhere near in safeguarding the interests of Dogras, be it the provision of compensation for Amarnath land agitation victims.
In the Amaranth land agitation of 2008 Jammu remained shut for two months, as many as eight people were killed, scores left injured while property worth lakhs of rupees was damaged and trade valuing crores was affected.
At that time, several BJP leaders made assurances that if elected to State Legislative Assembly they would ensure adequate compensation to the affected persons.
However, the BJP leaders even forgot the emotive issue which gave them the historic mandate in Assembly elections of 2008 and hardly made any efforts to provide relief to the victims of Amarnath land row.
The most recent display of BJP's 'affection' and 'fondness' for Dogra culture and traditions come to fore when two of its 'Dogra' Member of Parliaments representing Jammu province in the Lok Sabha took oath of office in Hindi thereby dumping their mother tongue Dogri.
While several Parliamentarians irrespective of party affiliations sworn in their respective regional languages, the 'Dogra' MPs of BJP didn't take a cue from their counterparts and preferred Hindi over Dogri.
Both the MPs could have used this historic opportunity to showcase their unique identity of being a 'Dogra'.
No doubt BJP had every right to raise issues affecting the common man of Jammu but the saffron party must not forget that R-APDRP scheme which was to be launched by the Chief Minister is intended to improve power scenario in Jammu division which would ultimately provide a big relief to lakhs of Dogras, who are at present grappling with a major power crisis.
However, why is it so that saffron party's Dogra clamour grows only when Assembly elections are round the corner.
Timeline
v Dogra candidate representing the saffron party was deprived berth in Upper House of the State Legislature, courtesy 7 out of its 11 MLAs cross voted for the MLC seats in April 2011
v BJP was on the wrong side of the fence in February 2009 when some of its Dogra MLAs defected and voted in favour of Farooq Abdullah
v Amaranth land agitation of 2008 left 8 dead, scores injured, losses incurred, but BJP's Dogra clamour failed to make any dent
v 'Dogra' Member of Parliaments representing Jammu province in the Lok Sabha took oath of office in Hindi, dumping the mother tongue Dogri |
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