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| BSP does U-turn to harm SCs on the eve elections | | Inconsistent approach | | Rustam
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 19: Exactly 13 months ago on October 18, 2013 the BahujanSamaj Party (BSP) condemned Article 370 and demanded trifurcation of the state. It was none other than State BSP president TulsiDassLangeh who declared that if the Scheduled Castes and other backward classes were to enjoy the rights and privileges in J&K which were available to their counterparts in the rest of the country, they had to ensure the abrogation of Article 370 and division of the State into Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. He also declared in a public meeting that the BSP would further intensify its campaign to achieve these objectives. But that was not the first occasion that the BSP had demanded the abrogation of Article 370 and the division of J&K. Langeh had only reiterated what BSP national general secretary and RajyaSabha MP NarinderKashyap had said in Jammu on August 2, 2013. He had come to ask his party cadres to launch a relentless campaign to achieve the two objectives: Abrogation of Article 370 and trifurcation of the State.Justifying the demand for trifurcation, the BSP lawmaker had said: "We have decided to take up the issue of Statehood for Jammu in the LokSabha and the RajyaSabha because our party is in support of smaller States". He had disclosed that the BSP had "already devised a strategy to take this agitation to its logical conclusion". Kashyap had not only described Article 370 as the root cause responsible for the neglect andmarginalisation of Jammu province and the SCs and the OBCs, but also spoken the language of the BJP.
"This Article is only serving interests of the ruling elites. It is the main hurdle in the implementation of Central schemes for the socio-economic and political regeneration of weaker sections in the State", they had said and claimed that the "party has already generated a debate to highlight 'abuse' of Article 370 by the ruling elites, which have snatched all the constitutional rights of weaker sections under the garb of special status". The arguments advanced by the BSP leaders were as valid as they deserved a positive consideration and recognition. Article 370, which was fundamentally bad, retrograde and fatal for the paramount national interests in the State, was designed to thwart and delay indefinitely the realisation of the people's most cherished goal of responsible, accountable, corruption-free and transparent system of governance. It would be no exaggeration to say that Article 370 curtailed the Fundamental Right of the people to shape and control their socio-economic and political future within India and under the Indian Constitution. The SCs and the OBCs constitute almost 30 per cent of Jammu's population and these social groups are spread across the province, barring the Poonch district. They can tilt the balance in favour of any party in as many about two dozen out of 37 Assembly segments into which Jammu province has been territorially divided.
It was obvious that BSP national president Mayawati and her think-tanks had taken all these factors into consideration before demanding abrogation of Article 370 and trifurcation of the State. The SCs and the OBCs, like all other sections of society in Jammu, constitute the most neglected lot and they can turn towards the BSP.
Compare what the BSP said two ago in Jammu (Nov 17) with what it had said 13 months ago and the readers of the Early Times will see the difference - difference which is glaring. The BSP did allege that the J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had failed to make people of this state to realize that he was a ''strong Chief Minister' and accused the state government of failing the people J&K, but it also did a U-turn on Article 370 for reasons best known to the party leadership. And it was none other than Kashyap who did a U-turn. On Article 370, he said that the BJP was "misleading" people on the issue and asserted that "rather than making Article 370 a debatable issue, BJP should discuss about the development of J&K, besides rights of backward classes. "We have appealed to the Prime Minister and also demanded that special package as per one of the clauses in the Article 370 should be announced for the people".
The BSP leader did not a say a single word against Article 370, notwithstanding the fact that it is this provision that is responsible for the miserable plight of the SCs and similar other social groups. On the contrary, he found in Article 370 a way that could help the people of the state. It appears the BSP has lost its way. There is no doubt that the BSP has gone against the wishes of the social groups, it claims, it represents. This U-turn will surely damage the BSP in the assembly elections. |
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