news details |
|
|
| PDP, NC in Catch-22, as Azad plays ST card | | | Jammu, Aug 13: Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's spanner of offering reservation in legislature to the Gujjars and other Scheduled Tribes has created a political crisis of the sorts for the Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition National Conference.
Azad had last week said that he is ready to offer political reservation to the Gujjars provided that the other parts including the Peoples Democratic Party and the National Conference arrive at a consensus on the issue. Since this statement of the Chief Minister, there is a upheaval among the political parties as Congress initiative of offering reservation to the Gujjars means community's support to the party in more than 20 assembly constituencies.
Now it is learnt that the government in possibility is likely to bring a Bill in the assembly on political reservation to the Gujjars. This will throw the PDP and the National Conference in a Catch 22 situation. If they support the Bill, the ultimate credit goes to the Congress and if they don't they get exposed for their no sympathy to the community.
The Peoples 'Democratic Party (PDP) is yet to take a decision whether it will
support Chief Minister,Ghulam Nabi Azad's plan of introducing a bill in the ensuing monsoon session of the State Legislature for providing political reservation for Scheduled tribes, including Gujjars, Bakerwals and Gaddis.
General secretary of the PDP,Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, said today "we will first discuss the issue either in the executive committee or the political Affairs Committee of the party.We have to weigh the issue on its merit and if we find that reservation was called for we will support it."
While announcing his plan of introducing the bill on granting political reservation to scheduled tribes Chief Minister sought support from the PDP, main partner in the ruling coalition, and the opposition National Conference. He said that since the adoption of the bill required a two-third majority support of the PDP and the National Conference was necessary.
While the National Conference leadership has not divulged its stand on the issue the Panthers Party, which has four members in the Assembly and one in the upper House,has demanded increase in the number of Assembly seats prior to the grant of political reservation to STs.
Leader of Panthers Party in the state Assembly, Harsh Dev Singh, said "Since 1997 I have tabled the bill for granting political reservation to those belonging to the scheduled tribes twice but it was rejected on one pretext or the other."
He said that "prior to the introduction of the bill relating to the grant of political reservation the Government should increase the number of seats in the Assembly from 87 to 110 so that adequate number of seats were kept reserved for the STs."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
