Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 25: Panthers Party chief patron Bhim Singh has yet again reiterated his demand seeking appointment of delimitation commission, saying it must be constituted forthwith to give due representation to Jammu province in the state legislative assembly. The plight of people of Jammu province would remain unchanged until and unless they are given due representation in the assembly, he has said and added Jammu province deserves more seats than Kashmir as its land area is almost two-time that of Kashmir and number of voters equal to Kashmir, if not more, and that the bulk of area of Jammu province is hilly, mountainous and inaccessible. Jammu returns 37 members to the assembly and Kashmir 46. As for Ladakh, it elects four members to the assembly. Jammu is not only under-represented in the assembly but it is also in a microscopic minority in the all powerful state cabinet. Jammu has only five ministers in the cabinet and the rest belongs to Kashmir. Besides, Kashmir today controls Home, Finance, Planning, Revenue, Agriculture, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, General Administration Department, Public Works, Tourism, Science and Technology, Labour, Culture and so on. Jammu has been forced to remain content with the failed PDP, PHE, Health, Transport and Industry departments and also Forest department. Bhim Singh is right when he bats for a delimitation commission and seeks more representation in the assembly so that Jammu gets what is its due share in the governance of the state as an equal partner with Kashmir.
However, the problem is that the agenda of alliance under which the state is being governed today bars the state government from appointing delimitation commission before the 2031 census exercise. Thanks to the "ungrateful" BJP, which threw its vision document into dustbin to come into power in the state, and which accepted the PDP's demand that delimitation of the assembly constituencies will not be possible fore the 2031 census. The Agenda of alliance says delimitation commission will be appointed "as per law" and the law, according to the 2002 amendment is that it shall be impossible to appoint the commission at least till 2035.
If the Panthers Party, or for that mater the people of Jammu province, sincerely wish that delimitation commission is appointed, they have no other choice but to create conditions which force the PDP-BJP coalition government to repeal the 2002 amendment, which was also supported by all the eight BJP MLAs much to the chagrin of the people of Jammu province. The Panthers party knows it well that the BJP had joined hands with the then ruling NC to sabotage the Jammu cause to remain in the good books of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.
Indeed, the BJP ditched the people of Jammu region in 2002 and it again ditched 2015 by sealing its fate by making common cause with a party that is known for its bias against Jammu. |
