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| Azad harmed country, Jammu more than any Kashmiri CM | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Sept 5: Four, the Panthers Party moved another private member's bill seeking incorporation of the words "secularism and socialism" in the preamble of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution. The upshot of its whole argument was that "since the preamble of the Indian Constitution contained these two words, the same needed to be incorporated in the State Constitution so that the state polity was given a secular and socialist orientation". The bill failed to carry conviction. The ruling Congress, its coalition partners, including the Left parties, plus the opposition NC, rejected out-of-hand this bill, thus indicating their negative approach to the cardinal principles of secularism and socialism and commitment to promoting communalism in the state.
Five, the Panther Party moved yet another private member's bill in the Assembly in the same session. It was designed to ensure parity between Kashmir and Jammu as far as their representation in the Assembly was concerned. The bill said that Jammu province and Kashmir division each be divided into 52 Assembly segments so that the Jammu's age-old grievance was redressed. But it was bitterly opposed. The ruling Congress, like the PDP, the NC, the CPI-M and the PDF, repudiated outright this bill. The opposition of the Congress to the bill was all the more surprising considering the fact that its core constituency was Jammu province, especially its Hindu-majority areas, which returned as many as 24 members to the Assembly.
Six, the NC sprang a surprise in the Assembly when it moved a private member's bill seeking protection of the temples and shrines of the Kashmiri Hindus. It was expected that this bill would be adopted at once. But it did not happen. All the coalition partners, excluding the Panthers Party, and the BJP and the JSM, joined hands and ensured the defeat of the bill. It is hardly necessary to catalogue the reasons behind the opposition of the ruling coalition to this bill. It may be noted that the said bill had been referred to a select committee. It is doubtful if this bill would ever be passed taking into account the religious sensitivities of the displaced Kashmiri Hindus.
Seven, the NC moved another private member's bill on the need to adopt Shariat laws. While the ruling coalition and the JKNPP extended their unqualified support to this bill and adopted it, the BJP and the JSM opposed it. The ideologue of the PDP and Deputy Chief Minister, Muzzaffar Hussain Beig, did express some reservations, but ultimately he also voted for the bill.
Eight, the Panthers Party moved one more private member's bill seeking reduction in the life of the Assembly from six to five years. Its argument was that "since the term of the assemblies in the country was five years, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly should also be constituted for a period of five years". The Bill was defeated in no time. The then Health Minister Mangat Ram Sharma made a mockery of himself and his party when he said in the Assembly that the bill, if adopted, would mean "reduction in the pension of the legislators". He said that "six-year term benefits the legislators". The NC and the PDP, on the other hand, opposed the bill saying that "Jammu and Kashmir enjoys a special status within the Union and, hence, the life of the Assembly has to be six-year". It needs to be noted that it was the NC, a staunch supporter of greater autonomy, which had in 1977 adopted the central legislation enhancing the life of the Lok Sabha and the assemblies from five to six year -- legislation which the Janata Party Government repealed.
The vehement opposition of the ruling coalition and the NC to certain private member's bills and their full support to certain other bills indicated two things: Support for those bills which had the potential of further widening the already rather wide gulf between the state and New Delhi and giving legitimacy to the politics of communalism and separation and opposition to those which had the ingredients of bringing the state closer to New Delhi, secularizing the state polity, empowering the refugees from West Pakistan and dispensing justice to Jammu province. The message was that they stood for a system that was different from what was in vogue in the rest of the country.
All this should clinch the whole issue and establish that Azad's regime harmed the country and Jammu more as compared to his predecessors, all from Kashmir. It is good that he has left Jammu. Had he continued to hold the office of Chief Minister for some more time, he would have caused more damage. That he was not secular and that he sided with the communalists in Kashmir could also be seen from his attitude to the decision on the transfer of the small piece of land at Baltal to the Shri Amarnath Shrine board for creating facilities on a temporary basis for the pilgrims during the pilgrimage period. (Concluded) |
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