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| All parties but NC cry foul over Justice Saghir report | | Result of hurry on the part of judge, says Tarigami | | Munish Gupta
JAMMU, DEC 24: Barring ruling National Conference, almost all other political parties in the state have criticised the Justice S Saghir Ahmad report on Centre-State relations presented to the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here last evening suggesting restoration of autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir to the extent possible and out-rightly rejecting constitution of delimitation commission in the state.
"The working group set up by Prime Minister has vindicated the stand of the NC on grant of autonomy to the state," senior NC leader Mehboob Beg said here on Thursday.
In its report, the working group said: "The question of autonomy and its demand by the NC can be examined in the light of 1947 Kashmir Accord or some other manner or on the basis of some other formula as the Prime Minister might deem fit and appropriate so as to restore autonomy to the State of Jammu and Kashmir to the extent possible."
The working group was one of the five groups constituted by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a Confidence Building Measure (CBM) in Jammu and Kashmir. These groups were set up after the second Round Table conference chaired by the Prime Minister here on May 25, 2006. The other four working groups had previously submitted their reports.
Interestingly, the working group report has said that it could not comment on the formula of self-rule advocated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as no document on this was furnished by the PDP.
"Self-rule perhaps pertains to autonomy in a wider context and can be considered by the Centre after the PDP furnishes the document to the centre," the working group report says.
PDP spokesman Naeem Akhtar said his party expected the working group would hold more sittings before submitting its report and that is why the self-rule document was not given to it. "We are surprised that the working group has already submitted its report," Akhtar said.
Speaking before the media, State Vishav Hindu Parishad leader Dr. Rama Kant Dubey has reacted sharply and condemned the working group report of Justice Saghir. The submission of this report is quite belated and certainly an indicator of Centre’s appeasement towards the minorities, he added.
Analyzing the recommendations made in the report ‘one can certainly infer that it is a dictation of Jammu and Kashmir Government instead of independent submission’, Dubey opined.
Strongly criticising the report Pradesh BJP today said that it has ignored the sentiments of the people of Jammu and Ladakh. The report has totally ignored the demand of Jammu based MLAs seeking increase in number of assembly seats. Setting up of delimitation commission and reducing the term of legislative assembly to five years to bring it at par with other assemblies of the country, BJP State President Ashok Khajuria said.
On opposing the constitution of Delimitation Commission, Khajuria, said the working report recommendations directly affects the imbalance between Kashmir and Jammu regions in terms of representation in the state legislative assembly.
While the report has ignored the demand of people of Ladakh for Union Territory status on the ground that unity and integrity of the State cannot be compromised, it has made significant recommendation for restoration of autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir to the extent possible with special reference to Kashmir Accord and doing away with the Constitutional provision of appointment of Governor by the Centre and invoking Article 356 by the Central Government to dismiss Government in the State in case of breakdown of law and order or a Constitutional crisis, Khajuria observed.
"Justice Saghir" seems to have acted more under the influence of UPA and National Conference led coalition Government in the Sate in preparing the report" Khajuria said and added this Working Group did not meet for more than two years to finalise the report.
The report has also been submitted without taking other members of the group into confidence, Khajuria regretted. This report is only viewpoint of present Chief Minister who has got it through because the delay by the Commission, he said and rejected the report.
Strongly criticising the report ex-convenor of Sangarsh Samite Leela Karan Sharma, while addressing media persons here today, said that these recommendations are not acceptable to the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions. ‘The recommendations are not only against the people of J&K but also against the interests of the country’, he said and added that time has come that the Indian Constitution should be applied to J&K in letter and sprit.
He said that the working group’s recommendation on Article 370, Article 356 and decision against delimitation commission is totally unacceptable to every one in J&K.
Commenting on the report, CPI (M) state secretary M Y Tarigami said that it was astonishing that the Convener of the Working Group has rendered the earlier discussions inconclusive and submitted his report to the Chief Minister in hurry. Tarigami said that the working group was important of all other groups formed by the PM, so it needed to be broad-based and open to in-depth consultations and discussions before submitting the report. “The deliberations were mid-way and needed further sittings before making the final recommendations,” he said.
Tarigami who was the member of the PM’s Working Group on “Strengthening Center-State Relations” has said that the discussions between members of the group on their respective proposals have been left halfway.
Jammu State Morcha (Progressive) strongly condemning the report said that it clearly indicates that this Working Group prepared its report under the dictation of the National Conference leaders. The contents of the report confirm that genuine demands of the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions have been out rightly rejected and the National Conference agenda and its perception on various issues have alone been incorporated in the report.
Describing the report as extremely biased against the people of Jammu and Ladakh,Court. If Government of India is so keen to give more autonomy, let that be confined only to the Valley and Jammu and Ladakh regions be separated out from it by reorganising them as States. The Morcha warned that by granting further autonomy to the State it shall instead of bringing peace in the state shall cause more violence and turmoil and as such the Morcha rejects the report.
Ridiculing the report of the Working Group on Centre-State relations, President Tehsil Thathri Development Front Kudeep Kumar Rao described it as ‘full of flaws’ so far as the interests of people of Jammu are concerned. ‘It is a partisan report aimed at maintaining the supremacy of Kashmir over Jammu region and giving lion’s share to the Kashmir Valley at the cost of Jammu’, he added.
The outright rejection of delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies is based on step motherly treatment with the people of Jammu region as delimitation would result in allotment of more assembly seats to the region in view of its being more populated than the Valley.
Unless delimitation is not allowed how can equal development be guaranteed and how can there be equal distribution of funds for development, he asked. ‘We feel that the representative of Jammu have been given ‘lollypops’ to keep mum otherwise they would raise the issue. They are silent and this pains every one of Jammu region. They should copy example of the leaders of Andhra Pradesh who resigned their posts for the support of their cause, he observed.
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