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| editorial | | Self-rule and greater autonomy | |
While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has earlier at Nainital stated
that his government is prepared to consider the proposals of greater
autonomy for J&K, advocated by National Conference and the self-rule,
which has been the main plank of PDP, the senior J&K Congress leader
and Minister for Health and Medical Education in the Azad led
coalition government, Mangat Ram Sharma has once again rubbished the
borrowed slogan of self-rule, advocated by PDP. What Mangat Ram has
said is in keeping with the well known stand of the Congress in J&K
that the state already enjoys self-rule, since it are the elected
representatives of the people who govern the State there is no
contradiction between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that
his government will talk to the people of J&K and consider the demand
put by certain sessions for a greater autonomy as well as self-rule
and the committed stand of the J&K pradesh Congress as well as of the
Congress party at the national level that the state already enjoys
enough autonomy and self-rule. Government assurance to consider a
demand or proposal put forth by a section of politicians in no way
means its acceptance. As a government, separate from the ruling party
or major partner in the coalition government, giving consideration to
a particular demand by a section of the people is in keeping with the
democratic process, even if a proposal or demand is opposed by the
party in power. When the resolution for greater autonomy was passed by
the State Assembly, on the behest of the then state ruling party
National Conference, the NDA government in the Centre too had
considered the demand though it rejected it after thoroughly
considering its pros and cons. In the meanwhile it is for the first
time that the PDP has made a serious exercise to spell out its concept
of self-rule, which has often been dubbed as a slogan borrowed from
Pak President Parvez Musharraf. The Political Affairs Committee of the
PDP last Thursday appointed a drafting committee for preparing a
position paper on its version of the self-rule for Jammu and Kashmir.
The guiding principles laid down by the PDP patron Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed for formulation of the document for self-rule clearly indicate
that the self-rule as envisioned by the PDP is different from
President Parvez Musharraf proposal in this regard and the same is
hardly at variance with the NC concept of greater autonomy for J&K.
Mufti Sayeed stress that the self-rule as envisioned by the party
should reveal its strategic approach for the ultimate definition of
relation between the State and the Centre. He also said that the
Instrument of Accession and article 370, as originally provided and
that any redefinition of State as Centre relationship must start from
the point of original association between the State and the Union of
India. This is almost the same what NC has been advocating in
demanding reversion of the States relations with the Centre to pre
1953 stage. However this plea of NC has been rejected in the past on
the ground that it is retrogressive and not in the interest of the
people at large in the state, whose rights are dually protected by
extension of the jurisdiction of Central institutions like Supreme
Court, Election Commission of India and the Auditor and Comptroller
General, to J&K as well as extension to the state of some central
laws. However, while the greater autonomy plank of NC seeks
empowerment of the state and is silent about empowerment of regions
within the state, the PDP's self-rule, as per Mufti Sayeed will take
care of devolution of empowerment obtained from the Centre, to the
regions and down below. In that way it is modification of NC's
proposal.
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