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| Jammu not on Congress's priority list | | Political Resolution | | Rustam
JAMMU, Sept 2: The people of Jammu province had hoped that the JKPCC would pass a resolution on the nature of Jammu problem and its solution at its convention, held in the state's winter capital, Jammu, on August 31 and urge the President of India to invoke Article 371 of the Indian Constitution to set up an empowered regional council in Jammu so that its people exercise some legislative, administrative and financial powers, but their hope just remained a hope. The hope had stemmed from the August 30 statement of AICC general secretary and in-charge Jammu and Kashmir Congress Ambika Soni that the Congress and the Congress Ministers had failed to fulfill the promises made to the people.
The executive members of the JKPCC did adopt five resolutions, but none of them gave any indication that the Congress will take all the steps aimed at fulfilling the promises it had made in its 2008 election manifesto to garner votes. One of the resolutions was styled as political resolution. It was moved by senior vice president of the party Dharam Pal Sharma and seconded by former Minister Mula Ram. Its main focus was on the unity and integrity of the state and not on the empowerment of he neglected and abandoned Jammu province. It only said that the state shall remain one with balanced model of development of all the three regions of the state. The operative part of the resolution said: "The PCC resolved to leave no stone unturned to promote and strengthen the unity and integrity of the nation. It further resolved to strengthen the integrity of the state and ensure balanced development of all the three regions".
One may or may not question the first line of the operative part of the political resolution, but one would certainly question its insistence on the unity and integrity of the state and vague assurance that the JKPCC would ensure balanced development of all the three regions. In fact, the resolution reiterated the same old monotonous and misleading stand that the Congress stood for equitable development of all the three regions of the state.
It needs to be recalled that one of the promises held by the JKPCC in 2008 was that a vote for the Congress would mean an amendment in the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, federalization of the state polity and establishment of an adequately empowered regional council in Jammu. Although regional council was not the lasting solution to the Jammu problem, still the people of Jammu province returned 13 MLAs to the Assembly hoping that the Congress becoming a crucial constituent of the coalition Government will imitate its Kashmir-based and Kashmir-centric NC and do all that it could to give effect to its election promises. But it did not happen and it will not happen considering the fact that the Congress cares more for Kashmir than any other region of the state. Indeed, the Congress convention disappointed the people of Jammu province. |
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