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| PDP gains in Kashmir, Congress suspect in Jammu | | SASB LAND CONTROVERSY | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | June 23
A blessing in disguise for politicians in election year, the controversy around transfer of forest land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board seemed to have helped the Peoples Democratic Party quite well in the Valley but the Congress summarily failed to explain to the people that what exactly it stood for.
Since the controversy, despite careful verbal jugulary adopted by the PDP, is essentially developed on the religious and regional grounds, by opposing transfer of land to the Shrine Board the Peoples Democratic Party has apparently gained a score in consolidating its electoral constituency in Kashmir. The Congress with an eerie silence at the top level has allowed to the controversy to remain a debate between PDP and the Raj Bhawan.
Earlier the PDP was seen as equally responsible for transfer of land when the Forest Minister Qazi Mohammad Afzal justified the move but later but the party resorted to a well calculated damage control exercise which paid it well. Senior PDP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig had alleged that the Congress blackmailed his party on the issue of land transfer.
Had the Congress accepted Baig’s allegations, it could have enjoyed some sentimental support in Jammu. However, with Congress’ silence the BJP and Panthers Party occupied the space of defensive sentiments.
Senior Congress leaders including Health Minister Mangat Ram Sharma and Higher Education Minister Gulchain Singh Charak have been on the job negating Baig’s statement. With Congress washing its hands off, people have been allowed to grapple for guesses as who was more serious in land transfer.
Even though now Congress is saying that they will not succumb to any pressure to revoke order on the land transfer as demanded by PDP but a silence of more than 10 days has made considerable loss to the party in Jammu region. The Minister for Higher Education Gulchain Singh Charak today affirmed that the cabinet decision to "divert" 800 Kanals of forest land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) would not be taken back.
Speaking to media persons here today Charak, termed the statement of Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussian Beig that Congress had blackmailed its coalition partner, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over transfer of forest land to SASB, as "baseless" and "false". "The decision regarding diversion of land to SASB was taken in cabinet and we had not blackmailed PDP over this issue".
"Beig Sahib is my good friend and to me a great man but through such statements he has cut down his size before me and he proved himself to be very little," resented Charak.
"On the direction of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the work on Mughal road was started when I was Minister for Road and Buildings.
We have cleared all the hurdles and hopefully it would be completed soon," maintained Charak. "The land was diverted to SASB for providing better facilities to pilgrims visiting cave shrine from all over the country. It would not only benefit the pilgrims but also to locals," added Charak.
He cleared that government is committed for providing better facilities to pilgrims and the cabinet decision regarding diversion of forest land to SASB would be changed. |
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