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| Kashmiri leaders join hands against Sham, oppose trifurcation proposal | | JAMMU DEFEATS JAMMU | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Dec 7: As expected, Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma's Bani (Kathua) December 5 trifurcation proposal has evoked a very strong reaction in Kashmir. Almost everyone who matters in Kashmir has opposed the trifurcation proposal and asserted that no one could divide the state. Some of those who opposed trifurcation as a lasting solution to the Jammu problem included Syed Ali Shah Geelani of Hurriyat Conference, Mustafa Kamal of National Conference, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami of CPI-M, Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen of People's Democratic Forum, Muzzaffar Shah of Awami National Conference and Langate MLA Abdul Rashid Engineer. They belong to different parties and yet they are one as far as their stand on Jammu is concerned.
The reasons behind the opposition of Kashmiri leaders to the Health Minister's highly rational proposal are quite understandable. One of the most notable reasons is that the separation of Jammu from Kashmir would at once end the latter's 63-year-old hegemony over the former and Ladakh and deprive the Kashmiri leadership of the opportunity to exploit the people of the state's two other regions and loot and plunder them. It needs to be underlined that Kashmir has prospered and achieved all-round development at the cost of Jammu. In other words, Kashmiri leadership has been exploiting Jammu and ruling over it the way Great Britain ruled over India and exploited it to enrich the British economy. There is no difference whatever.
Everyone knows that it is Jammu that contributes more than 70 per cent revenue every year to the state's exchequer, but in return gets only crumbs. Everyone knows that the life of the people of Jammu province is not one of political and economic aspirations but of toil and penury. Everyone knows that Jammu has suffered huge, huge political, economic and even social losses during all these 63 years of the Kashmir's hegemony over Jammu province. The recent revelations made by the State Finance Commission's Jammu and Ladakh-based members, Swami Raj Sharma and Sonam Dawa, have established beyond any shadow of doubt that it is Kashmir and only Kashmir that has been getting a very preferential treatment in all spheres and that Jammu province is being neglected to the extent possible. In other words, the Kashmiri leadership has been making humiliating, unjust and invidious distinctions between Kashmir and Jammu.
It is also important to note that Kashmir would turn pauper in no time in case Jammu is separated from Kashmir. For, Jammu province is the backbone of the Kashmir's economy. It is the Jammu's money, plus the liberal financial assistance from the Union Government, that sustains Kashmir and meets its financial needs. How could the Kashmiri leadership allow Jammu province to go out of their clutches. After all, Jammu province is highly rich in terms of natural resources, including green-gold, minerals and water; after all, Jammu province has become their colony that caters to all of the needs of the Kashmir Valley; after all, it is Jammu that provides all kinds of comforts to the Kashmiri leaders.
The Kashmiri leaders know the importance of Jammu province for Kashmir and Kashmir's economy and, hence, their bitter opposition to the Health Minister's well-conceived trifurcation proposal. It is an irony that his detractors in Jammu province have also joined hands against Sham Lal Sharma and demanded action against him. The need of the time was to strengthen the hands of the Health Minister and take on his Kashmiri opponents, but they have acted otherwise, obviously, to settle personal score. They have every right to criticize Sham Lal Sharma for his report remark that Kashmir be given independence, but why should they oppose his trifurcation proposal. Trifurcation proposal is not outside the constitutional confines. Article 1 of the Indian Constitution does say that the number of the states can be increased and decreased as per the needs of the people and exigencies of the time. And, the need of the time is the trifurcation of the state because in the division of the state lies solution to the Jammu problem, as also to the Kashmir issue.
Jammu has been suffering primarily because of the Jammu leadership. In fact, it is the Jammu leadership that has defeated Jammu. The Jammu leadership has, unlike the Kashmiri leadership, never taken up the Jammu cause in the manner it should have been taken. Jammu has been witnessing right from day one leadership playing the role of a second fiddle. It has always talked about Jammu's miserable plight but consistently played in the hands of the Kashmiri leaders. The reasons are not really difficult to fathom. This approach would not do as it is not consistent with the Jammu's psyche. The Jammu leadership needs to refashion its whole approach towards Jammu taking into consideration the nature of its problem and act accordingly. Sham Lal Sharm has shown the way and it needs to be treaded by one and all in the interest of the nation and the Congress party. |
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