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| Jammu leadership and its role in the Assembly | | |
MINCING NO WORDS
NEHA
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 9: A peep into the history of discussions in the state legislature and role played by the Jammu-based legislators, with a very exceptions, does reveal that those who represented Jammu province in the state legislature from 1951 till date have simply danced to the tunes of their Kashmiri masters. In fact, even a superficial look at the role played by most of the Jammu-based legislators, irrespective of their political affiliations, would be enough to reach a definite conclusion and the conclusion would be that they have defeated their own people again and again to remain in the good books of their Kashmiri masters and advance their petty interests at the cost of their long-suffering constituencies, most of which are mixed.
Yes, there were a few occasions when most of the mortally afraid Jammu-based legislators sensed the mood of the angry and badly let down people of this province and made common cause with one another, notwithstanding the fact that most of the time they operated separately. They did so only to identify themselves with the sentiments of the people they represented in the state legislature fearing that not to identify themselves with their respective constituencies and the people these constituencies housed would mean their political annihilation. Take, for example, their splendid role during the Darbar Movement, the 1998 MBBS/BDS/Universities Movement, the 2008 Amarnath Land Movement and the movement for the establishment of Central University in Jammu – all very successful movements.
At the same time, however, it has to be underlined that even during those highly popular and virtually pan-region movements, certain elements in the political parties, including the so-called Jammu-centric parties, had tried to hobnob with the Kashmiri rulers in order to ensure the defeat of those popular movements. Their sole objective was to get a few concessions at the cost of the agitating people in Jammu, including admissions in the professional colleges, promotions, licenses, contracts, appointments and so on. Some of them succeeded in ditching the people of Jammu province and some couldn’t. The credit goes to the politically awakened people of Jammu province because they persevered and suffered in the process the official wrath, but didn’t allow the vested interests to ultimately succeed.
Left to most of the Jammu-based legislators, they would have auctioned the people of Jammu province and the bid would have on the lower side. Though these are some harsh words, but there is no other way to define the role of most of the Jammu-based legislators and the spectacular victories of the people of Jammu province.
A reference to four instances depicting the controversial role of some of the Jammu-based legislators and ministers would not be out of context. One: It was the Jammu-based legislator and a very senior Minister (Congress) who moved the obnoxious Permanent Resident (Disqualification) Bill in the State Assembly. The Bill was designed to deprive the daughters of the state of their natural right to marry non-state subjects, own immovable property and obtain jobs under the State Government. The Bill could not become an Act because of the vehement opposition in Jammu province. It happened during the PDP regime.
Two: It was the Jammu-based legislator and a very senior minister (Congress) who joined hands with the then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and moved in the State Assembly another dangerous Bill seeking the introduction of the militant and separatist-friendly “healing touch policy”.
Three: It was the Jammu-based legislator belonging to the so-called ultra-nationalist party (BJP) who opposed the introduction of the official Bill seeking to establish Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University and Agriculture University in the Jammu province. The Bill was passed in the form it was introduced at the insistence of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who knew that the collapse of the official Bill would mean the collapse of his government.
Four: It was the legislators (8 in number) of the Jammu-based ultra-nationalist and so-called pro-Jammu outfit (BJP) who shamelessly voted en-block for the amendment moved by the National Conference Government. The amendment was to the effect that the Assembly constituencies would not be delimited before 2026 (read before 2036 because the constituencies would be delimited, if the Kashmiri rulers so decide, only after the 1931 census).
One can catalogue here umpteen more such instances to show that many of the Jammu-based legislators have always worked against their own province for the reasons mentioned above.
Will the Jammu-based legislators this time play a different role during the ongoing Assembly session? Will all the Jammu-based legislators, cutting across party lines, and the Jammu-based ministers make common cause with one another and a play a different and inspiring role? Will they expose the votaries of Pakistan, greater autonomy, self-rule and general amnesty? These are really very difficult and ticklish questions. In other words, it is not really possible to give accurate answer to these very pertinent questions.
However, given the noises some of the Jammu-based legislators have been making right now, one can say that they may play some positive role; they may fight for the Jammu and national causes; and they may expose the Kashmiri rulers and their Jammu-based collaborators. But a caveat is there. One has to wait and watch but only for a few days.
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