Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Mar 17: The Bhartiya Janta Party-Peoples Democratic Party coalition government is reportedly indecisive to take any decision on studying the recommendations of Justice Sagheer Committee on Center-State relations.
The term of CSC appointed by previous Congress-National Conference coalition government ended in August 2014. "In the meantime the government machinery remained busy in assembly election process and had virtually pushed the issues into backburner" sources said.
They added that new government of People's Democratic Party (PDP) - Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has yet to take decision over the re-constitution of the committee.
Secretary Law Department, Mohammad Ashraf admitted that the CSC was lapsed and decision of reconstitution would be taken by General Administrative Department (GAD) and Cabinet.
Secretary GAD MA Bukhari said that the government has to decide re-constitute CSC, if same would desire to study the suggestions. "The GAD has to take decision and table proposal before cabinet", he said.
Pertinently, on December 23, 2009, the previous government had set up a Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) headed by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather on Justice Sagheer Ahmad Working Group recommendations.
Due to prolonged delay in studying the suggestions and recommendation the then government had reconstituted CSC, on February 18, 2013, by appointing four members each from then coalition government Congress and National Conference including Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather as Chairman, Ali Muhammad Sagar, Taj Mohiuddin, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Sham Lal Sharma, Raman Bhalla, Choudhary Ramzan and Ajay Sadotra as members.
The primary issue in the Sagheer committee report, dealing with autonomy of J&K, was said to be the main reason of confrontation between the coalition partners.
Congress Ministers were reportedly opposing the National Conference move of submitting pro-autonomy recommendations by the CSC. Congress Ministers had reportedly made it clear to their National Conference colleagues in the CSC that they would stand for Indira-Sheikh accord for basis to any solution to Kashmir problem and not autonomy. In the absence of any consensus the committee was lapsed.
The recommendations of four other Working Groups, which had submitted recommendations in April 2007 to former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also never saw day light. |
