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| Time to go through election manifestos and fulfill promises | | Congress convention in Jammu | | Rustam
JAMMU, Aug 30: Now that the executive committee members of the JKPCC under the leadership of AICC general secretary and in-charge of the J&K Congress Ambika Soni, JKPCC chief Saif-ud-Din Soz and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad are meeting tomorrow to discuss the party affairs and other important subjects, including the current political situation in the state, it is the most opportune time for them to urge the central leadership to go through the 2002 and 2008 election manifestos and adopt a resolution asking the State Government to fulfill the promises made solemnly to garner votes from Jammu province. It is already too late and further delay would surely cost the Congress in Jammu province very dearly.
A revisit to the 2002 and 2008 election manifestos has become all the more imperative considering the manner in which the Congress at the centre has been trying to fulfill its 2009 election promises. It has already succeeded in getting the Food Security Bill adopted in the Lok Sabha and it is also making all efforts to get the archaic land acquisition Act amended and improved, notwithstanding the fact that the Congress is running a coalition Government at the centre like the NC is running a coalition Government in the state with the Congress as its most crucial ally. If the Congress could take along its allies in the centre, why can't it make the NC fall in line saying that it will withdraw its support in the event of the NC not toeing its line.
The people of Jammu province, who have voted repeatedly for the Congress, are the most neglected people. They had voted for the Congress in 2002 hoping that their vote would help them obtain "regional development board" and end the discriminatory policies. Their vote went down the drain, as the Congress, which became part of the PDP-led coalition Government, did not take any step to honour its solemn commitment. The 2002 election manifesto of the Congress had said that the Congress, if voted to power, would set up an adequately empowered regional development board.
In 2008, the people of Jammu again voted for the Congress. They reposed faith in the Congress hoping that the Congress would set up regional council in Jammu. More than 4 years and a half have passed, but there appears nothing whatsoever in the political horizon which could even remotely suggest that the Congress is committed to setting up regional council in Jammu. The 2008 election manifesto of the Congress had unequivocally made a commitment to the effect that the "Congress, if voted to power, will amend the state constitution to federalize the state polity and set up a regional council in Jammu". It had held out many more promises, but did not respect even one.
The Congress has to change its attitude towards its core constituency, of course, without harming the genuine interests of Kashmir in order to remain relevant in Jammu province. It would commit a grave political blunder if it throws into the dustbin its election manifestos and take the people of Jammu province for a ride. The people of Jammu are already very angry with the Congress and its failure to respect its election manifestos would further widen the already rather wide gulf between the two. It bears recalling that it was none other than JKPCC chief Saif-ud-Din Soz, Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and the then in-charge of J&K Congress Prithvi Raj Chavan, presently Maharashtra Chief Minister, had released the election manifesto in October 2008 at Press Club of Jammu. |
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