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| Jammu should fight for delimitation | | | | The unease in the relations between two regions of this state –Kashmir and Jammu –is a nearly 150 old year story. The Dogra dynasty though made several efforts –well recorded in the history –to minimize the emotional gaps between two regions but it could not materialize. Of course there were some developmental and representation imbalances between Kashmir and Kashmir towards the beginning of last century but record suggest that Maharaja Hari Singh was committed to offer people of all regions their due. He was one such ruler of Jammu and Kashmir who would always announce concessions at the spur of even smallest of dissentions. Instead of bridging the gaps, the developments of 1931 in a way pitted one region against the other and vice versa. Thus this unrest continued for next nearly two decades when balance entirely shifted in favour of Kashmir leaving Jammu to complaint for the future. The story of Jammu begins with the independence of India, state’s accession to the Union and transfer of power from Maharaja to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. There was not even a brief interval next years when could get a feeling of equal treatment. The recent agitation which scripted a history to be recalled by the future generations had the discrimination sentiment at center of it. Not only the developmental discrimination, it is also feeling of humiliation which continuously haunts the people of Jammu region. The recent agitation strongly conveyed that people of Jammu are deeply hurt over the treatment they have been meted out with and they would not like to take anything hands down as whatever comes their way. Close to the heels of this agitation and a strong message of pending movement against the discrimination in Jammu, the voices from Kashmir Valley have started countering Jammu’s assertion for the just rights. To undermine the Jammu movement some people have started talking about strange things. They allege that Kashmir has been discriminated against in developmental matters. Infact these statements are quite misleading and the leaders as well as general people in both Kashmir and Jammu should look at the issues which promise a bright future for the coming generations. Developmental discrimination is a debatable issue but it should not be left to the people who do not have any knowledge of how the development is carried out. The real and just problem in Jammu region is of its exclusion from the political process. There is no denying the fact that Jammu has been thoroughly discriminated against in its representation in the decision making process. The number of assembly constituencies is skewed in favour of Kashmir in a manner that Jammu always has to play a second fiddle. When it comes to countering interests of Jammu, all parties from Kashmir bury their differences to join hands against the region. The worst example was when they opposed the constitution of delimitation commission. But people must learn to accept mistakes. As long as the Jammuites keep sleeping over things, neither Kashmir nor New Delhi will offer them to have more assembly constituencies. If parties, as they claimed during agitation, are serious about rights of Jammu region they should join hands to take the delimitation issue to logical conclusion. |
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