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| 1975 accord didn't contemplate restoration of 1952 position | | NC Distorting Facts - II | | Rustam
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 17: The terms of the 1975 accord were unambiguous. There was nothing whatever in the accord which could even remotely suggest that New Delhi had directly or indirectly suggested that it would restore the pre-1953 position to the state. On the contrary, the accord had clearly mentioned that the other party (Sheikh Abdullah) would not be allowed to tinker with the provisions of the Indian Constitution extended to the state after August 9, 1953; that there was no question of changing the nomenclatures of the Governor and the Chief Minister; and that there be no dilution in the jurisdiction of the Election Commission of India and Supreme Court as far as the state was concerned. Congress leader M L Fotedar is absolutely right when he says that Sheikh Abdullah recaptured power in the state after expressing full faith in India and the Indian Constitution.
The NC says, "the erosion of autonomy began after the unfortunate and un-constitutional dismissal and arrest of Jenab Sheikh Sahib, along with his associates in 1953, and it continued apace there after till the year 1975." It's absolutely true that the erosion of autonomy began after August 1953, when Sheikh Abdullah was dismissed and arrested on the charge of sedition or for his hobnobbing with the United States or for his move that was designed to establish a "Switzerland-type independent Kashmir." It's true that the nation between 1953 and 1975 witnessed a process leading to closer constitutional and political integration between the state and New Delhi, with the state being brought under the purview of hundreds of Central laws and institutions. But it's also true that the process was smooth and voluntary. There was no bitterness and animosity. The Government of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Government worked in perfect unison for the betterment of the people of the state. But more than that, everything was done in Jammu and Kashmir on the demand of or with the concurrence of the state government.
And, what about those 18-odd Central laws, including POTA, which were introduced in the state between February 1975 and January 1990, when the state was ruled by Sheikh Abdullah, his son-in-law G M Shah and his son Farooq Abdullah, all the so-called votaries of greater autonomy. And, what about the D D Thakur report that Sheikh Abdullah accepted in full. Thakur had said in his report: "Needles of the clock cannot be turned back; the Central laws had only benefited the state and its people." Thakur was Deputy Chief Minister in the Sheikh's government. And, what about the report of G M Shah and Ghulam Nabi Kochak that Sheikh Abdullah rejected outright. The report had recommended wholesale withdrawal of the Central laws and institutions from the state.
Can the NC leadership refer to a single Central law that was extended to the state without the concurrence of the state Government? It cannot because New Delhi has never brought the state under any Central law without the concurrence of the state government. It is pertinent to mention here that the NC had brought out a 180-page report on autonomy in April 1999 but did not refer to those Central laws which were extended to the state between 1975 and 1990. Nor did the report refer to the 1975 accord under which Sheikh Abdullah had become Chief Minister. These were not lapses. These were deliberate omissions. Had the NC referred to these two things in its report, which was rejected outright by the BJP-led NDA Government, it would not have been able to rake up the issue of autonomy.
The NC leadership would do well to look all these facts in the face and stop distorting facts. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are not fool. They know each and everything and, hence, it can be said that any attempt on the part of the NC to hide what it did to recapture power in 1975 would only boomerang and help the PDP capture the political space in Kashmir the NC at the moment occupies. (Concluded) |
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