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| Kashmiri leadership's stand on Article 370 evokes strong reaction in Jammu | | Paving way for disintegration of State | | Rustam
JAMMU, Dec 3: The rigid and communally motivate stand of the Kashmiri leadership on Article 370 would hasten the process of the state's disintegration. The reason is that neither the people of Jammu province, barring a handful of communalists and vested interests, nor the people of Ladakh appreciate this Article. They oppose it tooth and nail and seek its abrogation so that they are fully merged with India.
The religious and ethnic minorities in the state, including Kashmiri Hindus, besides the refugees from West Pakistan, hate this Article and want solution to their problems through the Indian statute book, sans Article 370. It is not just that the BJP and the JKNPP oppose this Article. Women of the state, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) are also vehemently opposed to this Article. They say, and very rightly, that Article 370 constitutes a biggest obstacle in the implementation of the centrally-sponsored schemes meant for them.
On Monday, a number of leaders of these communities condemned the Kashmiri leadership's stand on Article 370 and demanded its abrogation saying its repeal alone could help them regenerate their socio-economic and political life and avail the benefits which are available to their counterparts across the country. The Gujjar United Front (GUF), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), OBCs and number of other leaders of these social groups have condemned the discriminatory Kashmiri leadership's stand on Article 370 and demanded its abrogation.
"The Article 370 is the biggest hurdle in extending various welfare schemes in the state. Abrogation of this Article will help the STs to get direct benefits of various schemes meant for them," president of GUF and an Advocate by profession Anwar Choudhury was quoted as saying. He also reportedly said: The successive state governments have brazenly taken excuse of this Article to deny reservation rights to the STs in the state. Abolition of this Article will help the weaker sections to avail benefits of schemes meant for them". Javed Rahi, who has been working for the upliftment of the Gujjar and Bakerwal community since long and is a known scholar, also expressed almost identical view. "We are not against the Article 370 but this Article is against us," he reportedly said, and added "many constitutional guarantees for the STs are not directly implemented in the state due to this Article" and that the "Forest Right Act, 2001, and the SC/ST Atrocities Act are yet to be implement in the state as approval of the state Assembly is must to extend these Acts in the state". State BSP president Tulsi Dass Langeh, who has been demanding trifurcation of the state and abrogation of Article 370 for quite sometime now, too, took the Kashmiri leadership and said Article 370 has harmed the interests of the weaker sections in the state. "Ruling elites of the state have been abusing this Article to deprive the weaker sections of their constitutional rights. Unlike other parts of the country, OBCs are being denied of their reservation rights in the state. SCs and STs are also victims of this Article. The ruling class in the state is taking shield of the Article to deny constitutional rights to the OBCs here," he was quoted as saying on December 2. Yet another activist Deepak Kumar bemoaned that it was because of Article 370 that the OBCs in the state have failed to obtain their due share. "Although most of the weaker sections are victims of the Article 370, OBCs are bearing the maximum brunt of this Article…The OBCs in other parts of the country are getting 27 per cent reservations as per the recommendations of the Mandal Commission but in Jammu & Kashmir, they are not even identified. Article 370 has been used as a shield by theruling class to create hurdles in implementing the Mandal Commission recommendations in the state…There has to be a debate on this Article," he reportedly said. Yet another activist R K Kalsotra, who also happens to be the state convener of Confederation of SC, ST and OBCs organization, also described Article 370 harmful. "The questions raised by BJP leader Narendra Modi are not new…It's a fact that special status has been abused by the ruling class of the state to deny constitutional rights to the weaker sections," he reportedly said.
What these activists said should expose the Kashmiri leadership and establish that a very vast majority of the people in the state wants Article 370 to be revoked. And it must be revoked. |
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