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| Not Kashmiris, but Jammuites lack sense of protest | | | Gareeb Dass
Jammu | July 14
People in the Jammu region lack what is called sense of protest.This sense is on the top in the Kashmir valley where people take to the streets even if they find an old book in a library carrying some caricature against Islam.They protest if substandard rice is available on the ration depots.They demonstrate over the killing of one militant even if he had,in his firing spree,killed six soldiers.Even while taking part in the burial ceremony of a slain militant people in Kashmir stage demonstrations against the killing.They protest with anger over the diversion of 800 kanals of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board.They give vent to their joy on the roads in Kashmir when the order is revoked.
No doubt for the first time in the living memory people in Jammu demonstrated their sense protest over the revocation of land order,they have shown no such sense of protest against the inordinate delay in reinstallting tranformers at the Gladini grid station.Jammu,besides Poonch and Rajouri,have been witnessing prolonged power shutdowns.People in Jammu have shown their courage to face the ordeal of living in high humid and hot weather.Yes,they have been seen crying foul against the Government but they do it in whispers.They express their anger inside their rooms and shops,Whatever level of anger they have in their mind is not heard by the state authorities,not to speak of those in Delhi guiding the detiny of the people of the region.For making the Government aware of the plight people need to shout louder.I am not trying to incite people to violence.They can peacefully register their protest by organising rallies and by taking out torch processions.
Consider the role of political leaders belonging to the Jammu region.Over the years they have been compaigning,that too mildly and intermittently,against what they call regional discrimination.Did these politicians organise sustained public protests.Yes,they have rendered a great service by issuing statements.Whenever these statements get published in some local newspapers these politicians feel their job is over.It is not their job to know whether their statements were ever read by the valley centric political leaders.It is not their job to find out whether their statements resolved the problem of regional discrimination,even if to a limited extent.They have not bothered to do it.The result is the level of regional discrimination in the allotment of funds for development and in the recruitment in Government offices continues to inflate.
For the last several years only the BJP and the Panthers Party leaders have been raising slogans,though occasionally,in favour of setting up a Delimitation Commission in order to increase the number of Assembly constituencies.Their argument is that on the basis of the area and population the Jammu region deserved to have more than 46 constituencies.The concerned authorities have slept over the matter.It may be the Congress or the NC or the PDP they will try to ignore the demand for increasing the number of Assembly constituencies.In doing so they have a purpose.They feel that once the Jammu region got more than 46 constituencies there was danger for transfer of power from the Kashmir centric political leaders to those in the Jammu region.
Now that the power shortage issue has been left in the hands of the Governor,N.N.Vohra, the Governor's assurance has to be watched.He has,interestingly,set no date for the resolution of power crisis in Jammu but his assurance that the problem will be solved soon can ,for the time being,sustain hopes among people who do not demonstrate their sense of protest over a trifle.They do not do so even on issues that concern lives of people.And if the Governor is able to get the power problem resolved within a week or 10 days he could be a hero for those people who are not happy with him over the way he,as head of the Amarnath Shrine Board,informed the state Government that the Board no longer required land at Baltal and Domel for raising prefabricted tents and toilets for the comfort of pilgrims.He did it after Ghulam Nabi Azad assured him that the the Government agencies will provide infrastructure and other facilities for the pilgrims.
Let the Jammuites learn from Kashmiris how their sense of protest can do wonders.At the sametime those in Jammu should not emulate Kashmiris protesting over the killing of a militants. |
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