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| Promising the moon is a bid to hoodwink Jammu masses | | | Early Times Special
JAMMU, July 26, 2009: Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Saifuddin Soz has now jumped into the controversy regarding the proposed Central university. In a statement issued to the press on Sunday evening, he said: “In certain quarters there is misunderstanding about the institution of the Central University in J&K State. ``There is no room for any misunderstanding on this issue. The latest situation is that Chief Minister J&K State Mr. Omar Abdullah has approached the Prime Minister to provide two (2) Central Universities to the state, one to be located in Jammu and other to be located in Kashmir.
``As president of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee, I wrote to the Hon’ble Prime Minister recently giving full support to the proposal of Hon’ble Chief Minister. I wrote to the Hon’ble Prime Minister that in view of Topography and Socio-political setting of J&K State, it is highly desirable that the Central Government provide two universities to the J&K state as a special case.
``While Hon’ble Prime Minister is considering the proposal, I have sought an urgent meeting with him (Hon’ble PM) for 28th July 2009 and I am hopeful that our proposal will meet the approval of the Hon’ble Prime Minister.’’
For good measure, the press release adds: ``In any case, Congress party is duty bound to honor the aspirations of the people in all the three regions of the state and amicable solution will be found to all problems of public interest.”
The beauty of the statement lies in the fact that it makes no mention whatsoever of the proposed setting up of an Indian Institute of Management (I.I.M.) in the Kashmir Valley. Mr Soz appears to be taking it for granted that the I.I.M has to be anyway set up in the Valley as a matter of right. What he says in effect is as an exercise of this matter of right, twice over, even the Central university should be set up in the Kashmir Valley.
As an afterthought, apparently because of the agitation now raging in Jammu, he is willing to grant a small concession to the Jammu people. The concession he has condescended to grant is to request the Prime Minister that an additional university for the Jammu people should be considered ``as a special case’’, not as a matter of right. As if only Kashmiris have rights and the Jammuites have only responsibilities.
Nowhere in his press release has Mr Soz mentioned or suggested that if the two regions need two universities, how is it that the Jammu region does not deserve to have an I.I.M. too?
This is the classical trick the politicians play when faced with an inconvenient situation. Instead of clarifying, with an honest intent and purpose, they further vitiate the atmosphere by adding to the confusion. Mr Soz has acted no differently as did the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Tara Chand, during a marathon meeting with prominent citizens of the Jammu city on Saturday.
Not willing to concede that it will not be possible for the Central Government to set up two I.I.M.s and two Central universities in a tiny state like J&K, Mr Tara Chand insisted that his government will indeed try to get these institutions for both the regions.
In fact, he is reported to have even suggested that the Central Government can grant an I.I.M. and an I.I.I.T for the State, with one institute for the Jammu region and the other for the Kashmir Valley.
The way things are poised now, it appears that the Congress leaders have been told by the Central leadership (read Sonia Gandhi) that both the I.I.M. and the Central university will be set up in the Kashmir Valley only. The job they have been entrusted is to ensure that the agitation in Jammu does not go out of hand and for this, they should issue statements which will create confusion.
The whole controversy had started when the news came that the proposed Central university (originally planned to be set up in the Jammu region) was being shifted to the Kashmir Valley.
The controversy can be ended by a simple statement from the government that since an I.I.M. and a Central university are to be set up in J&K, one of them will be set up in Jammu and the other in the Kashmir region, to ensure an equitable distribution of resources.
Since no such statement is forthcoming and the attempts are being made to promise the moon to the Jammuites, it is clear that the attempt is to hoodwink them.
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