news details |
|
|
| Kashmir will continue to have 13 more seats in Assembly: Azad | | Jammu & Congress election manifesto | |
Rustam
Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 26: It was on November 22 that the Congress released its election manifesto to inform the electorate in the state as to what it stood for or as to what it will do in case it was voted to power.
The manifesto said many things with most of them were not new. The manifesto held out the same old promises which it didn't fulfill during the past 12 years.
Manifestos are released on the eve of elections to woo voters.
But here is a party that released its manifesto to offend the people of Jammu province or drive them away from it and the Congress did it in a most brazen manner.
It had been one the main grievances of the people of Jammu province since 1951 that they were never given proper representation in the assembly that decides questions of supreme importance to the well-being and happiness of people.
They had been consistently urging the authorities to set up a delimitation commission to redraw the assembly constituencies so that they got proper representation in the assembly. The Congress had promised a delimitation commission both in 2002 and 2008, but had not done anything to fulfill its commitment. It only played the Kashmiri games and further harmed Jammu and Ladakh.
The Congress manifesto 2014 again says that the Congress, if voted to power, will introduce a bill in the assembly to constitute delimitation commission, but will see to it that Kashmir continues to have more representation in the assembly as compared to Jammu and Ladakh together.
It was none other than Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress's election campaign in-charge in Jammu & Kashmir, who candidly told the people of Jammu province through media that they should forget that they would get a proper representation in the assembly under the Congress dispensation.
Azad said the Congress would ensure that the difference of seats between Kashmir and Jammu is maintained.
"The seat difference of 13 constituencies will remain the same between both the regions. We want that with delimitation, the assembly seats should be increased simultaneously in all the regions as per existing ratio," Azad said while releasing the manifesto.
By saying that the delimitation commission would increase the number of seats in each province as per the existing ratio, Azad committed two wrongs. One, he rejected the demand of the people of Jammu province for adequate representation just on the eve of first phase of polling which also covered all the six assembly segments of the erstwhile Doda district, namely, Bhaderwah, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Banihal and Inderwal. It is clear that he ignored the fact that his statement could jeopardize the electoral interests of the Congress party in Jammu province and Ladakh region. The other mistake that he committed was that he entered into a domain he should not have.
It is not within the power of any government to increase or decrease the number of assembly seats. It is for the delimitation commission appointed under the Representation of People's Act that follows the laid down norms and delimits assembly constituencies de novo after ever census.
It was clear from what he said that he had lost his way or that he didn't know what he said. One is clear that Azad has marred the electoral prospects of the party he himself is leading from the front. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
