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| Disillusioned Jammu Voter | | | COL J P SINGH
Iss fiqar mein baitha hun: akher mujhe ab kia karna hai
Aur zulum sehna hai ya zulam karne walon se larna hai.
People of Jammu and their ancestors have been burning in the heat of oppression during the last 62 years. Now the time has suddenly changed. Today they are in a position to throw the oppressor in the same furnace. The identity of the leaders who inflicted deep wounds on our body politic is not a secret. Which praty(s) they belong to is well known. What however worthy of punishment their conduct is has to be decided by the voter and reflected in the election. Election offers golden opportunity to do it. The election fever is gripping Jammu with the arrival of PDP & Congress Presidents on the scene. BSP and NPP were already on the scene in Jammu region during the agitation. BJP played an active role in it and was upbeat on the promulgation of election.. But the Jammu voter is not at all enthusiastic at the hustings. People in Jammu have suffered great losses in men and material during the agitation enforced on them by the callous govt, arrogant officials as well the so called pro Jammu leaders. Transporters, Traders & Labourers suffered great deal of losses. Public undertook great risks of facing bullets and battons by challenging those who opposed land allotment and subsequently engineered its cancellation. The people of Jammu by nature are peace loving, simple and patriotic. Examples are plenty. They fought to extend the boundaries of state into Tibet & China and far too many of them gave their lives for the motherland & many perished in the snow and they did it again in 1962, 1965 and Kargil wars. During ‘Op Vijay’ 3000 unemployed youths of Jammu and Ladakh under the banner of TANDA TIGER FORCE under the command of K P Singh got enrolled as porters to raise 6 Porter Coys to supplement Army’s war potential. 8 of them died in action and many were wounded. This is an extraordinary example of patriotism of Dogras. Today they are the forgotten heroes. Martyrs of SAYSS agitation may also go unsung tomorrow despite turning the tide in favour of Jammu. By taking out processions, burning effigies of oppressors, defying curfews and seizing Police Stations and Highways and scarifying their lives they got the land restored to SASB. Obviously the voter won against the bullet and got the land restored. SAYSS set a new trend in Jammu on the course set out by LUTF in Ladakh. Oppressed Jammu was empowered. Oppressors were shown the furnace. Election frenzy with the same old faces with similar promises disillusions the voter. SAYSS which raised the pitch of self esteem, ignored it after the land restoration. It came with the roar of a Tiger and disappeared like the tale of a Snake. BJP ditched its own cadre by projecting old and defeated war horses at the cost of young and inspiring leadership which spearheaded the furious agitation at a great risk of life and detention under PSA. Dr. Jatinder Singh, Adv B S Slathia, Prof Zahoor Uddin, Brig Suchet Singh and many others were house hold names during the agitation because they caught the bull by the horns and fought the battle upto Delhi which affected national opinion. They are favorites even now. But they have not been given another chance to fight for the cause of Jammu. If not now they can be considered for Parliament. BJP and Congress face internal revolt. BSP broke into three splinter groups and are contesting against each other. The overall scenario is disillusionment with the politics of Jammu and the conduct of politicians. What can the voter do in such a situation. The election has given an opportunity to address their frustration. The occasion to fulminate against the politicians comes once in 6 years when their distortions and falsehood can be exposed.. Let this occasion be utilized to discover a Barack Obama of Jammu. Jammu must enforce change unitedly like USA. Once earlier Jammu blundered in electing and projecting Dr. Karan Singh & Pt Trilochan Dutt who had the potential of integrating Jammu and getting legitimate dues in their own ways. Anti Discrimination Forum launched by Gen G S Jamwal and Madan Dogra should launch anti discrimination campaign and educate the voter. It is hoped that the voter will definitely make a right choice in electing Pro Jammu legislators and inflict punishment on those who inflicted deep wound on our psyche in the past and during the Historic agitation. |
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