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| Lies for votes: Mr Farooq, but where is the Delhi Agreement? | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 10: NC president Farooq Abdullah, who is struggling hard to retain Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, is leaving no stone unturned to mislead people by making false claims. On Tuesday, he said at his Hazratbal rally that his father Sheikh Abdullah and Prime Minister Nehru had signed Delhi Agreement in 1952, which determined the nature of relations between J&K and New Delhi and that he wanted New Delhi to appreciate the "Delhi Agreement". "The Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and the J&K Wazir-e-Aazam, Sheikh Abdullah, and their aides got involved in negotiations between June 14 and July 24, 1952, in order to work out an arrangement that shall regulate the Center -State relations and that the outcome of these lengthy and tortuous parleys was what they term as the "Delhi Agreement", signed on July 24 by Nehru and the Sheikh," Farooq Abdullah said.
But this is just one side of the case. The other is far more interesting and startling. It, in the words of Dr Abdullah, is that "it was the Parliament which (ratified the Delhi Agreement and) and that "the bill (to this effect was) piloted (on July 24) by (the) then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru".
What is the factual position? Nehru and the Sheikh met during June-July, 1952 to discuss the J&K affairs. The whole exercise started on April 10, 1952, when the Sheikh made some highly inflammatory speeches at Ranbirsingh Pura in Jammu and repeatedly poured venom on the Indian State. Highly infuriated, Nehru asked the Sheikh to meet him and explain his position. The Sheikh and Nehru did meet. It was during this and the subsequent meetings that the Sheikh raised certain issues concerning the Center-State relations. In fact, the Sheikh told Nehru that he and his party were for an autonomous J&K. He also urged the Indian Prime Minister to allow the J&K Constituent Assembly, which was set up in 1951 after wholesale rigging, to frame a constitution that could empower the State to exercise absolute control over all matter minus those relating to three subjects - defense, foreign affairs and communications.
It needs to be note that both Nehru and the Sheikh had arrived at an agreed solution only as regards the aims and ideals and bare outlines of the new constitution. Numerous matters, which will form the basis of Center-State relations, had been left undetermined as proper subjects for further discussion and explanation. Some of these issues such as the jurisdiction of the Supreme court, jurisdiction of the Election Commission, emergency powers, fundamental rights and questions of finance were yet to be clinched. It is true that Nehru expressed his willingness to accept the Sheikh's other demands. But it is equally true that he did so rather reluctantly.
It was on July 24, 1952, that Nehru informed the Lok Sabha as to what transpired between him and the Sheikh. And, what he told has been taken by the NC as an solemn agreement between New Delhi and Srinagar. This, despite the fact that there is no Constitution (Application to J&K) Order to this effect. |
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