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| Hindu Chief Minister from Jammu | | Sham gets support from JKPCC | | Rustam
JAMMU, Aug 23: Congress leader and Minister for PHE Sham Lal Sharma is known for making some big statements and inviting criticism. It was he who some three years back opposed demands of autonomy and self-rule and demanded trifurcation of the state into Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh states. Give what Kashmir wanted, but give Jammu the status of statehood and Union Territory to Ladakh, he had said at Bani (Kathua) in the presence of top Congress leaders, including JKPCC chief Saif-ud-Din Soz and almost all the Congress Ministers. His suggestion had evoked a very strong reaction not only from Kashmiri leaders of all hues, but from some Jammu-based Congress leaders as well. They had sought the intervention of the Congress high command and demanded action against Sham Lal Sharma. The only one who came to his rescue was his own real brother Madan Lal Sharma, who in May 2014 suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha election. Influential as he was, Sham Lal Sharma could weather the storm created by his detractors.
On August 20, Sham Lal Sharma went several steps further and urged his supporters to not only seek mandate for the Congress in the name of Hindu Chief Minister from Jammu but also in the name of regional council for Jammu, saying this was the only course left for the people of Jammu province to obtain justice or fair share in the administration. He even condemned the Kashmiri leadership saying it had established its stranglehold over the State Civil Secretariat. How could Jammu obtain justice when out of a total of 7000 employees in the Civil Secretariat, only 200 are from Jammu?, he asked. When he said only 200 employees from Jammu province, he only mentioned the number of Hindu employees in the Civil Secretariat.
As expected, the statement of Sharma evoked strong reaction from Kashmir. NC additional general secretary and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's uncle Mustafa Kamaal, like many others, including JKPCC vice-president Abdul Gani Vakil, lambasted Sham Lal Sharma. Kamaal not only opposed the suggestion of Sham Lal but also said that Chief Minister of the state has to be a Muslim and that too from the Valley. Infact, Mustafa Kamaal termed the statement of Sharma as "unfortunate" and demanded his expulsion from the Cabinet because Sharma, according to him, raised communal passions with his "irresponsible statement". "The Prime Minister or the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir not only has to be a Muslim but also from Kashmir valley.
When Azad sahab became the Chief Minister, there was an outcry that he belongs to Doda and is not from Kashmir valley…So he had to show that he had a residence in Srinagar and hails from Kashmir valley", Mustafa Kamaal was quoted as saying on August 20. And as for Vakil, he said: "This (statement) reflects that Sham lacks political wisdom. He has sensed his defeat from his constituency and is feeling nervous". The JKPCC chief also spoke and said what Sham Lal said was not the party view and that he would soon call a meeting of the party to discuss the whole issue. To be more precise, he dissociated the Congress from the statement of Sham Lal Sharma.
On August 21 and 22, three important developments took place, two in Delhi and one in Jammu. In Delhi, Congress national spokesperson Rashmi Kant endorse the suggestion of Sham Lal and it was coupled with a condition: He should be a man with mass experience and the one who could take along all sections and all regions. Former Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid also didn't directly oppose the suggestion. When asked about demands of a Hindu Chief Minister for Jammu and Kashmir, Khurshid only said: "Do we say that about any other state? Why only so and so. Let people of Jammu and Kashmir decide for themselves".
And in Jammu, Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, didn't oppose the suggestion. "The Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir says any citizen, irrespective of caste, creed, colour or religion, is eligible to become the Chief Minister…Our Minister has said a Hindu can be the Chief Minister. What is wrong with it? The constitution is secular and every person can become the Chief Minister provided he or she has support of adequate number of MLAs," he on Friday was quoted as saying. That he didn't oppose the suggestion of Sham Lal and, instead, defended him could be construed as a covert support to the suggestion.
There are also reports that Sham Lal Sharma also "enjoys full backing of senior Congress leaders (and Ministers) like Tara Chand, Raman Bhalla and Manohar Lal Sharma, besides scores of party workers". It is clear that it is the fear of defeat in the upcoming Assembly elections that has made the Jammu-based senior Congress leaders, including Ministers belonging to a particular religion, think in terms of re-seeking mandate in the name of Hindu Chief Minister. Whatever the outcome of the ongoing controversy over the suggestion of Hindu Chief Minister from Jammu, one thing is clear: Sham Lal Sharma has set the ball rolling. |
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