 Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 4: National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana on Friday demanded a drive against fake state subject holders, even as he cautioned against repealing Article 35A, saying any such attempt will hurt Jammu most than Kashmir and Ladakh.
"State Subject Laws, the essence of Article 35A, were enacted by Maharaja Hari Singh Ji in 1927, essentially to preserve special identity and economy of Jammu region from the onslaught of the non-state subject traders thronging from the neighboring states", Rana said.
He said that the revolutionary Permanent Resident Laws of the Maharaja Bahadur and Land Reforms Act of Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah guaranteed the state's special identity besides political and economic empowerment of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
While Rana has made his position clear on the issue, PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who claims she did not allow BJP to pursue its tough policy on Kashmir while in alliance with her party, remains tight-lipped.
The issue of fake state subject holders is as important for Jammuites as for Kashmiris. Hence, the silence of Mehbooba and her party on the issue is meaningful, according to political observers.
They said that it's intriguing why Mehbooba is not announcing her party's stand on the subject despite the fact that she is no more in power.
"Had Mehbooba chosen silence on the issue of fake state subject holders while in alliance with the BJP was understood. But her silence while being out of power is indeed meaningful," a senior political commentator told Early Times.
He said Rana is right while demanding that the fake state subjects should be identified on fast track basis and divested of the permanent resident certificates, which have potential of depriving jobs to locals and destabilizing the economy.
"If a Jammu-based politician threatens of an agitation if the fake state subject holders are not identified and taken to task, what prevents a Kashmiri politician like Mehbooba Mufti of taking a stand on this grave subject? Perhaps Mehbooba is still hoping against hope that the BJP would reverse its decision of pulling out of the government," the commentator said. |
