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| Open confrontation between NC, Cong | | Repealing AFSPA | | Neha
Jammu, July 26: The Congress, which has been striving to regain the lost political space in Jammu since May 16 and declared on July 20 that it would not have pre-poll alliance with the NC and field candidates in all the 87 constituencies in the coming Assembly elections, on Thursday made it loud and clear that it would oppose NC working president and J&K CM Omar Abdullah and his policies tooth and nail. Its attack on the NC would become bitter and bitter by the day, as it wants to identify itself with the Jammu sentiment and the nation's mood so that it could put up a good show in the Assembly elections. Jammu used to be the party's core constituency, but it was the BJP which turned tables on it in the Lok Sabha election and defeated both the Congress candidates - Madan Lal Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad -- with a huge margin.
That the Congress leaders, particularly from Jammu province, would vehemently oppose Omar Abdullah to win over the Jammu constituency became abundantly clear on Friday when PHE Minister and Madan Lal Sharma's brother Sham Lal Sharma, took a line different from that of Omar Abdullah and declared that the time is not ripe for the revocation or withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), under which the Armed forces involved in the anti-insurgency operations enjoy a legal immunity. The AFSPA was invoked in Jammu and Kashmir in July 1990 in the Kashmir valley and the 20-km radius of the LoC in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu province. In 2001, the Act was extended to the whole of the Jammu province.
It was on July 24 that Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told the Rajya Sabha that the "time was not appropriate to lift AFSPA" and the Government's stand was based on the inputs provided by the security forces and other factors. A day later, his statement evoked a strong reaction from J&K CM Omar Abdullah. Omar Abdullah, who had been demanding withdrawal of the AFSPA since 2009, asked New Delhi to explain what the Home Ministry meant by "appropriate time". "It (AFSPA) is an ongoing discussion with the Centre, first with the UPA and now with the NDA. Some people won't find the appropriate time even if we silence the guns 100 per cent…They will keep on giving excuses and keep on deferring from one year to another…If they tell us what the appropriate time for the AFSPA revocation is, we will try to determine the parameters of this appropriate time…I hope there is a change in their thinking," he said at Srinagar while interacting with reporters on the sidelines of a function. He also said: Now is the time to repeal the AFSPA, as the situation has completely changed. He compared the prevailing situation with that of 1996, when Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were held in the state after a gap of almost six years and sought to create an impression that the situation in 1996 was worse. His assessment was wrong because the situation in 1996 was not that bad. And this can be seen from the fact that there was no violence during the Lok Sabha election as well as the Assembly elections in the state.
Within 24 hours, his Cabinet colleague and Congress leader from Jammu Sham Lal Sharma challenged the stand of Omar Abdullah and said, "time is not ripe to withdraw the AFSPA from the state". "Cross border firing incidents along the International Border and the Line of Control (read ceasefire line) have become a routine and in such a situation, the AFSPA revocation is not possible," he said in Jammu while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function. Escalated tension along the border doesn't permit withdrawal of the AFSPA was his refrain. "We (Congress) are of the opinion that prior to taking any decision on the AFSPA, Army and the paramilitary forces vis-a-vis other agencies must be consulted," he also said. He virtually toed the Union Home Ministry's line, thus suggesting that the Congress and the NC are at daggers drawn and that the political conduct of both the parties would be different at least till the election process in the state is not complete. Omar Abdullah believes his opposition to the AFSPA would fetch him some votes in the Valley. Contrarily, the Congress believes if it is to remain somewhat relevant in Jammu and win some seats, it has to tread a different path. In any case, Sham Lal Sharma did the right thing by opposing the NC line on the AFSPA. Of course, the time is not yet ripe to withdraw the AFSPA. It needs to be underlined that the Assembly elections in the state would be held after October this year. This is also the year when the NATO forces would move out of the war-torn and Taliban and Al-Qaeda-infested Afghanistan. The withdrawal of the NATO forces from Afghanistan would, according to experts, have a serious fallout in the troubled Jammu and Kashmir. Not only this, there are reports that some Taliban and Lashkar operatives have already entered certain areas of Kashmir and the Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salah-ud-Din has said that he would "welcome" Al-Qaeda in Kashmir. Besides, a process of radicalization in the Valley has assumed alarming proportions in the Valley. These developments just cannot be ignored. Let Omar Abdullah say whatever he wants, but the fact is that the situation in Kashmir and certain parts in Jammu province is far from satisfactory. |
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