news details |
|
|
| Congress toughens stand on PRD Bill, citizenship rights to Pak refugees | | |
NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 27: No doubt Jammu and Kashmir state has experimented with the politics of coalitions right from 1975 the honeymoon between the two partners has usually remained either shortlived or full of strains. In 1975 the Congress announced its support to the Government formed by Sheikh Abdullah after he hammered out an agreement with the centre, called Sheikh-Indira accord. The support lasted for less than two years. The differences were not the result of any major ideological conflict. It was basically the outcome of the willingness of the Congress to form the Government on its own.
Another experiment was tried by the Congress and the National Conference under the cover of Farooq-Rajiv accord of 1986. In 1987 the two parties contested the election in alliance and later formed a coalition Government. It lasted for just three years when the Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, resigned in protest against the appointment of Jagmohan as the Governor. He quit the office as his Government found itself rattled by the sudden rise of militancy in Kashmir.
And it was in 2002 that yet another experiment on forming the coalition Government was tried. The experiment proved successful for the first three years when Mufti Mohd. Sayeed was the Chief Minister. And when Ghulam Nabi Azad took over as Chief Minister the PDP leadership started needling him. It was almost a marriage of inconconvience. However before Azad could complete three years the PDP launched a campaign against the diversion of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board. The very political and security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir was rocked by two-month long agitation in the Jammu region. Though Congress carried out corrective measures but Azad had to resign when the PDP withdrew its support to the Government.
Even after bitter experiences the mainstream political parties had no other alternative but to opt for alliance as the 2008 Assembly poll results threw up a hung Assembly. This time the platyers changed and the Congress agreed to form a coalition Government with the National Conference.
Notwithstanding the pronouncements from Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, and the PCC Chief, Saif-ud-Din Soz, that the coalition Government was stable and there was no conflict between the National Conference and the Congress the alliance has come under severe strain. It should have suffered a rupture within a year but neither the Congress led UPA Government in the centre nor the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir has any suitable alternative. Yes the Congress can again experiment with forming a coalition Government with the PDP but the National Conference leadership is so keen to keep its arch political foe, the National Conference, away from power that at times the NC leadership does not mind playing a second fiddle to the Congress.
One thing is certain. Two issues seem to have widened the distance between the Congress and the National Conference. First is the later's dubious stand on the Permanent Resident (Disqualification) Bill and secondly its known opposition to any plan of granting citizenship rights to the West Pakistan refugees settled in Jammu since 1947. Of late the Congress leaders in Jammu have come out of their inhibitions and have started supporting constitutional amendment required for allowing these refugees to enjoy citizenship rights.
The Revenue Minister, Raman Bhalla, is right when he wants other political parties to treat Refugees issue as a human problem.He wantes relevant amendment to the constitution to get adopted by the state legislature so that the blame that rights of these refugees were violated was removed. If Bhalla has dared to support the demand of the refugees wanting to be given the citizenship rights he has done it because he knows it well that a large number of Congress leaders in the party high command are in favour of granting all rights to these refugees from Pakistan. He knows it well that Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, is totally opposed to any idea of denying basic and fundamental rights to refugees of any period or from any country.
Reports said that if the National Conference lent open support to the Permanent Resident (Disqualification) Bill and to the move to grant citizenship rights to Pak refugees the Congress may review its support to the NC. There are some Congress leaders who were ready to quit the Government if the PRD bill was not dropped.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
