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| Telangana stirs Jammu's political aspirations afresh | | |
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 1: With the UPA Government's decision to give separate statehood to Telagana by vertically dividing Andhara Pradesh into two parts has rejuvenated similar aspirations in Jammu region also with protagonist of the demand deciding to re-launch their movement in coming days.
The Jammu State Morcha which had come into being in 2001 and contested the Assembly elections in 2002 was later disbanded. However the lone MLA which was elected on this ticket has kept the slogan alive and continued to call himself as representative of the Party in Assembly despite the fact that State Morcha has not been recognized as a party by Election Commission of India.
However the demand of separate statehood to Jammu continued to make rounds with people fed up with the discriminative policies of successive State Governments towards Jammu region. But various political organizations from Jammu including Shiv Sena, Jammu Mukti Morcha (JMM), Jammu Peoples Front and Ram Sena continued to raise the demand from time to time.
Though their demand failed to make much impact on the masses but with the recent decision of UPA to carve out separate state of Telangana by dividing the Andhra Pradesh into two parts has generated a hope among these organizations who have decided to put their demand more forcefully before the Government in view of the discriminatory attitude of successive State Governments towards the Jammu region.
The people of Jammu region have been made to suffer for years together by the successive State Governments for their Kashmir centric policies and the same can't be tolerated any more in future said Rajiv Kumar a post graduate student of Jammu University while stressing on intensification of struggle for creation of Jammu State. The Jammu has been a separate region which was governed by separate rulers over 200 years ago and it was only after Maharaja Gulabh Singh the first Dogra ruler of the state purchased Kashmir from Britishers for Rs 75 lakh the J&K became a single state, he added.
He said though during Dogra rule their was no such discrimination with Kashmiris but the Jammu was at receiving end after the first democratic Government came into being in 1947. During 23 year long turmoil Jammu suffered a lot and all benefits were given to Kashmir in shape of Central aid and funds, he added.
While justifying the demand Ram Kumar a West Pak refugee said had Jammu been a separate state the West Pak refugees have since been granted the citizenship rights. It was only due to the discriminatory attitude of Kashmiri rulers that these refugees have been deprived of the right to vote and PRC’s.
He strongly advocated for grant of separate statehood to Jammu as the region has no affinity with Kashmir valley so for the geography, climate, culture and language is concerned.
He said that Congress leadership at Delhi should give a serious thought to the issue and take steps in granting separate statehood to Jammu as per the aspirations of millions of the people of the region. |
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