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| Will resignation help Sham repeat his 2008 performance? | | Exposing discrimination with Jammu | | Neha
JAMMU, Oct 27: It was two days that Sham Lal Sharma resigned from the Omar Abdullah-led NC-Congress coalition Government on the ground that certain NC Ministers wanted him to do something he didn't want as it was against the people of Jammu province. He resigned just a day after the Election Commission of India announced the election schedule for Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand and enforced Model Code of Conduct. His resignation evoked a mixed response.
The NC, as expected, attacked him, saying he resigned because he had decided to join the BJP. Many others described his resignation as a drama enacted to create sympathy wave in Akhnoor constituency so that he could repeat his 2008 performance and got re-elected from this constituency. His critics have asked two simple questions. Why didn't he resign earlier? Why he resigned at a time when he had no power to do anything as the Model Code of Conduct would be in force after October 25? Of course, his supporters welcomed his resignation and said he resigned because he was fed up with the discriminatory policies of the NC against Jammu province or resigned for the cause of Jammu.
Whatever the reason, his resignation could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Jammu province. For, he would expose the working of the NC-led coalition Government. In fact, even before his resignation, he had on a couple of occasions criticized the Government policies vis-a-vis Jammu. On Sunday, he also lambasted the NC Ministers and accused them of pressuring him to benefit Kashmir and harm Jammu. He made a startling disclosure to the effect that "last year, when I took the charge of the PHE Department I found that since 1994 around 11,984 daily wage workers were regularized in the department and out of which 11,129 were from Kashmir division and only 855 from Jammu division".
Sham Lal also said: "During a Cabinet meeting held on June 30, it was decided that the services of 23,711, daily-wage workers who had completed 10 years of service with the department would be regularized. I found that there were 23,711 workers engaged with the department after Jan 30, 1994. So during the Cabinet meeting we decided to regularize their services, while around 6,000 were from Kashmir division more than 16,000 were from Jammu division, which created problem for the NC leaders…The Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather during the meeting had told me that he would attach a cover letter and then send the order to the General Administration Department, but when I came to know that it was not done, I raised objections and then another Cabinet colleague who is a senior NC leader approached me as he wanted me to adjust his people by breaking the rules by putting a back date on their joining. I refused it as this was sheer blackmailing".
Sharma not only exposed the anti-Jammu attitude of the NC Ministers, but also reiterated his demand that a Hindu should be the Chief Minister of the state. "I stand for Hindu Chief Minister. It is for the electorate to endorse or reject his suggestion," he said.
There are reasons to believe that Sham Lal would make more startling revelations in the days to come. Whether he wins or lose the Assembly election is not important. What is important is the fact that the revelations would be coming from the horses mouth. And this would certainly make the case of Jammu more strong since he belongs to a party that is "secular" and out and out pro-Kashmir. |
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