news details |
|
|
| Has the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly outlived its utility? | | Politics of secession | | Rustam
JAMMU, Mar 20: Has the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, the highest lawmaking body in the State, outlived its utility and become a platform of "anti-national" activities". Unfortunately, answer is yes. What has been happening in the State legislature from the day (Feb 28) the budget session commenced does suggest that the legislature -- which is exclusively meant for enacting laws calculated to improve the life of people and discussions and debates on the issues facing people aimed at devising and implementing policies calculated to mitigate the hardships of the people - leaves none in any doubt that most of the "lawmakers" belonging to Kashmir have been using the floors of both the Houses for promoting the separatist' cause and undermining Indian sovereignty in the State.
The past 20 days or so have witnessed in the Assembly and Council not people-centric discussions and debates but clashes between the Kashmir-based parties, including the ruling National Conference, clearly suggesting that they are interested more in vote-bank politics and politics of competitive communalism and secessionism than in the well-being of the people who sent them to the legislature hoping they would help them overcome the difficulties they had been facing. Besides, the past 20 days have witnessed clashes between the ruling coalition and the Jammu-based Lawmakers belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) and the Jammu State Morcha (JSM) - all demanding discussions on the problems facing the constituencies and accusing the ruling coalition comprising the National Conference and the Congress of allowing anti-national elements in the Assembly to vitiate the proceedings and communalize the situation in Kashmir, where many vested interests are busy fomenting anti-India troubles and furthering the Pakistani cause.
Since the ruling coalition had not been allowing the Jammu-based lawmakers to play the role they wanted to play, the latter resorted to walkouts and held protests in and outside the Assembly. It's not that the Assembly witnessed spat after spat between the ruling coalition and the main opposition People's Democratic Party. (PDP has been boycotting the Assembly since days now saying it is no use going to the Assembly where they are not allowed to speak. The other day the PDP also decided to boycott the Legislative Council saying members of the ruling National Conference had been showing disrespect to the PDP patron and Member of Legislative Assembly Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.) The coalition partners too are clashing with each other.
What happened yesterday in the Assembly clearly suggested that there was no love lost between the Congress MLAs, including some Ministers, from Jammu province and National Conference MLAs, including Ministers, hailing from Kashmir. The case in point is the open fight between PHE Minister Sham Lal Sharma and Housing Minister Raman Bhalla and Higher Education Minister Akbar Lone and Minister of State for Home Sajjad Kichloo. The Congress Ministers had expressed regret saying that MLAs like Er Rashid had been abusing India and Indian Constitution and that it had become difficult for them to stay in the Government. The National Conference Ministers had, on the other hand, taken on their colleagues and dared them to do what they wanted to do.
So, this is the position: There is no coordination between the coalition partners; there is no love lost between the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party; there is no space for the Jammu-based lawmakers in the Assembly; and that it is free for all. It is time for the State Governor to intervene and ask the Union Government to arrange fresh elections so that a new Assembly consisting of public-spirited lawmakers is constituted. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
