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| Elites in good humour, Govt ensures silent death of Gujjar Board | | No Vice Chairman since June 2007, no meeting held; key decision running pending | |
ZAFAR CHOUDHARY
Jammu, June 14: Gujjars and Bakerwals, the Pahari speaking people and Scheduled Castes have always been the most important items on the election politics menu in Jammu and Kashmir but when it comes to their real welfare they don’t find any place in the packing order. This has been happening regime after regime and Omar Abdullah government has not broken this precedence of dumping these social groups into oblivion –near total death of the respective Advisory Boards for Gujjars, Paharis and Scheduled Castes is a case in point.
One after the other, the Advisory Boards for development of these communities –constituting nearly half of the total population in Jammu and Kashmir –have been rendered defunct and there are no signs of there immediate revival in the current political chemistry of ruling coalition. Here is story of Gujjar Advisory Board.
Among all socially and economically backward groups in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujjars are the most politicized and exploited lot at the hands power elite –even from their own community. The state’s grand old political party and the most powerful dynasty flaunts its Gujjar connections every elections. National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah’s mother had a Gujjar maternal background. This is enough a reason to get majority of the community emotional and then the buck stops there.
It was in the 1970s when Gujjars started rushing to New Delhi for their inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes. Issues gained fresh momentum after the Indira-Sheikh accord of 1975 when Indira Gandhi expressed her desire to include J&K Gujjars in ST list. This was perhaps politically not suitable to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah regime and instead constitution of a board was proposed and agreed upon.
After initial cosmetic work under the Mohammad Shafi Khatana, the Advisory Board for Development of Gujjars and Bakerwals –as it was named –got a sudden prominence and very high profile in the following year for a strong reason. Sheikh Abdullah’s illustrious wife Baegm Akbar Jahan –popularly known as Madr-e-Meharbaan –took over as first Vice Chairperson of the Board (Chief Minister is always the chairman).
Begum’s taking over of the Board had a sweeping effect. Given her profile and acumen, the Board acquired a powerful position and this attracted the prominent Gujjars in other parties to the National Conference fold. Top community leaders, until then with the Congress, like Mian Bashir Ahmed and Choudhary Talib Hussain joined the National Conference camp. This was a pre-emptive strike to neutralize the voices in opposition camp that could have annoyed the Congress leadership in New Delhi with the National Conference government in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Board initiated its business with Rs 14 Crore grant from the center. Establishment of Gujjar hostels in ten districts. That is the only major visible change the Board brought out in three decades though routine activities carried on.
Last time when the Board was seen active it had a senior Gujjar leader Haji Buland Khan of National Conference as its vice chairman. Khan was appointed Vice Chairman in late 1980s after National Conference came to power in alliance with the Congress. After six years of Governor’s rule between 1990 and 1996, he was again appointed as Vice Chairman when NC returned to power in the latter year.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led coalition government continued with Khan in 2002 and he enjoyed equal trust of Ghulam Nabi Azad till his death in June 2007. Its been two full years that the Gujjar Advisory Board has a head (in Chief Minister) but there is no torso. After death of Haji Buland Khan the Gujjar Board became a center of row between the ruling coalition partners Congress and Peoples Democratic Party as both wanted their own men to head it. In early 2008, Peoples Democratic Party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig wrote a latter to the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad recommending eight members from the party for appointment to various Boards and Corporations including the Gujjar Board. The contents of the letter were selectively leaked to the media to scuttle the process. PDP and Congress leadership could never sit across the table to sort the issue out.
On fall of the coalition government last year, the Governor, as provided by law, took over Chairman of the Board but there was no Vice Chairman or the Board beneath. Nearly six months since formation of Omar Abdullah government, the government has no idea of the Board. Sources suggest that it is again a tussle between National Conference and the Congress on appointment of Vice Chairman. While none of the parties appears serious about welfare of community but this one post where they can adjust somebody from the community who they are not able to accommodate in the Ministry.
Elites from the Gujjar community have been kept in good humour by both National Conference and the Congress but the Board which is meant for the commoners has been rendered redundant. Among the important issues lying pending due to defunctness of the Board are creation of Gujjar hostels in newly created districts. Gujjar children in eight districts don’t have a hostel in their districts and they can’t apply for admission to the neighbouring districts.
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