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| Azad dividing Jammu province for petty votes | | Where is Chenab Valley? | | Rustam
JAMMU, Oct 30: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad is so desperate for some votes that he is dividing Jammu province. It appears that he has joined hands with the votaries of Greater Kashmir, who have been seeking to divide Jammu province since the late 1940s by saying that Jammu province consists of three sub-regions - Pir Panjal, Chenab Valley and the plain areas of Jammu. Their whole approach is sectarian and divisive. They believe that since Poonch and Rajouri and the erstwhile Doda district are Muslim-majority, these should be integrated into the Muslim-majority Kashmir. Jammu province has a distinct identity and no one can be allowed to undermine the territorial integrity of Jammu province.
"People of state in general and the Chenab Valley in particular have always given me lot of love and affection and I have always tried my level best to serve the people with dedication and humility," Azad said on Wednesday while addressing public meetings in Banihal assembly constituency, and added that they would again pin faith in him. "The voice that will rise from this region (read Chenab Valley) will become the voice of the people of the state…The coming election is a historic opportunity for the people of the Chenab Valley to assert themselves and retain their importance in the political landscape of the state," he said. It is obvious that he sought to arouse sectarian passions for vote-bank politics. He not only aroused sectarian passions, but also sought to pit the people of Doda, Ramba and Kishtwar against people of rest of the Jammu province by saying that "the voice that will rise from this region (read Chenab Valley) will become the voice of the people of the state".
Pir Panjal is a mountain and many parts of the erstwhile Doda district are its part. As for the so-called Chenab Valley, it doesn't exist at all. It is non-existent. Poonch and Rajouri districts which, according to the votaries of Greater Kashmir, constitute Pir Panjal region and the erstwhile Doda district the Chenab Valley. The belief of the communal forces in the valley and their supporters like Ghulam Nabi Azad believe that since these areas of Jammu province are Muslim-majority, they have nothing to do with the mainstream politics of Jammu. And they have been propagating this view since decades, but without evoking any positive response.
It needs to be emphasized that the Muslim and non-Muslim population in the Ramban, Kishtwar and Doda district is almost evenly balanced. There are certain areas in the erstwhile Doda district where the Muslims are in majority and there are areas which are Hindu-dominated. The fact is that the proportion of Muslims and non-Muslims in the erstwhile Doda district is 55:45. Hence, to call the Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts as Muslim-majority would be a misnomer. It is unfortunate that Azad who claims that he is secular is seeking votes not on developmental planks but by invoking divisive slogans. It is hoped that the people of these three districts would, like in the past, rise to the occasion and reject the divisive politics and strengthen mainstream politics. Azad would also do well to play positive politics. For, the negative politics has no place in Jammu province. |
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