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| Political ballgame at the cost of poor farm techies | | | CHAMAN KAUL
JAMMU, NOV 25: Sending shivers deep down the spines of those who believe in democratic right to peaceful protest for the sake of their genuine demands, politicos of different hues in Jammu and Kashmir have sadly set off a race to score brownie points. They are politicising the issues faced by poor agricultural technocrats unmindful of its consequences.
Instead of resolving the problems faced by farm techies, both the Bhartaiya Janata Party (BJP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) saw an opportunity for themselves in the plight of these technocrats. Without wasting time, the two parties, despite their sharp ideological divide, shared dais to feign solidarity with technocrats on strike for the last several days in front of Exhibition Grounds in Jammu.
“On July 31st Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah assured us to address the legitimate problem of Agricultural Technocrats and ordered his political advisor Mubarak Gul to look into the case of technocrats,” said Mohammed Asif, adding that after three months Finance Minister, Abdul Rahim Rather, said in an interview that the technocrats should not consider themselves as government employees, which not only was painful for technocrats but also amounted to virtually overruling the Chief Minister.
Asif said technocrats work ceaselessly but there is no reorganisation to induct them into regular State service because government has been shying from formulating a firm policy for them with reasonable terms and conditions of services rendered by them. Faced with officials’ apathy, the hapless technocrats have threatened with self immolation and fast unto death to press for their demands on December 5 evening. This has raised alarm bells in powerful circuits.
Following this the Political Advisor to CM, Devinder Singh Rana was among first to visit protesting technocrats and assured them to advocate their cause before the CM. Rana said that CM was very much concerned and wants to solve their problem as soon as possible. Veteran leaders including Professor Bhim Singh of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party and Pt Mangat Ram Sharma could not resist the temptation and reached the agitating technocrats to get political mileage out of the crisis.
As one would remember agricultural technocrats are demanding reorganisation in the department and are struggling for this for the last one- and-half year. They demand that government should at least come out with a comprehensive policy as Rs 1,500 a month salary given to them cannot help make ends meet for them and their families. They demand that government should come out with a policy indicating terms and condition of regularisation of their service in a time bound manner.
The coalition Government led by Omar Abdullah faces a test of sorts in the wake of the banner of revolt raised by the technocrats who say that they could well resort to self immolation and fast unto death for the sake of their demands. This, indeed, poses a law and order problem besides raising questions about the credibility of the coalition government vis-à-vis its commitment of providing jobs, work and vocation to the citizens of the State.
Yet the Government knows that farm techies are not alone to complain about unfair terms for the work they do. There are other daily wage earners, contractual and irregular employees and labour who may well press the Government to relent to their demands too. Thus, the powers-that-be are faced with a tricky situation which calls for foresight, planning and imagination on the part of the Government. Sadly this is what the bureaucrats as also politicos lack as problem before them mounts.
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