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| Jammu Congressmen can change fate of Dogras | | | Neha
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, June 19: Threat of social activist Anna Hazare that he would sit on fast on August 16 in the event of the Congress-led UPA Government not conceding his demand seeking adoption of an effective Jan Lokpal bill with the Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, bureaucrats and higher judiciary under its jurisdiction has disturbed both the Congress and the government it leads. This is one issue that has been keeping AICC president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh awake in the night. And, remember, Hazare is just an individual with mass appeal and the issue he has taken up in right earnest is the issue of corruption. His role has the potential of changing the fate of the country.
The other issue that has disturbed and alarmed the Congress and the UPA Government is the threatening posture of all the Congressmen in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh (AP), including minister, MPs, MLAs and so on. They have threatened en mass resignation from the government and the party in case Telangana region is not declared as a full-fledged state by the end of this month. They have threatened a what they called "direct action." In-charge of AP Congress and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has suggested a compromise formula - Darjiling-type administrative set-up - but it has not moved the agitating Congressmen. They have held their ground and said they would not accept anything short of a separate state. This posture of the Telangana Congressmen has the potential of changing the fate of the people of the region, as also upsetting the Congress' applecart in AP.
That these two issues have disturbed the Congress high command - Sonia Gandhi & Co - and the government could be seen from the fact that the AICC president has held two meetings of the core committee in two days, June 17 and 18. Sonia Gandhi returned to Delhi only a couple of days ago from foreign tour. The manner in which Sonia Gandhi held these two meetings to discuss the situation arising out of the Anna's demand and the demand put forth by the Telangana Congressmen indicate the nature of impact these two demands have on the Congress bigwigs. In other words, Anna and the Telangana Congressmen have proved that the pressure can pay rich dividends.
It is indeed questionable that the Jammu Congressmen, including leaders, ministers, MLAs and MLCs, have been maintaining a stoic silence notwithstanding the fact that the Dogras have been crying for justice since years. The Jammu Congressmen kept their mouth shut on the issue of Dogra certificate. They have also not uttered a single word on the issue of Jammu Central University. And, they also thought to prudent to keep mum as far as the issue of duration of Amarnath Yatra was concerned. In fact, the Congress ministers have become a party to all the decisions taken by the NC-led government, decisions which have been termed by the awakened and politically conscious Dogras as "anti-Jammu."
The indifferent or the negative attitude of the Jammu Congressmen to the miserable plight of the Dogras has only made them roundly criticize the Congress leadership and describe them as the "B-team" of the NC. Not only this, this negative attitude has also eroded the support-base of the Congress with the estranged Dogras accusing the Congress of going back on its promise that it would establish a statutory regional council in Jammu by amending the state constitution. The Congress had, it needs to be underlined, promised development board for Jammu in 2002 and promised regional council for Jammu in 2008. The accusation of the Dogras that the Congress has gone back on its promises and that it has been playing the role of second-fiddle needs to be viewed in this context.
It's time for the Jammu Congressmen to take note of the mood of the Dogras and act accordingly. They have nothing to lose. In fact, they have everything to win by following a courageous policy towards the constituency, they say and claim, they represent. They would become heroes of the Dogras the moment they take of the latter's cause that is also their own cause. They know that the Congress' core constituency is the Duggarland and not Kashmir. Hence, it would be only imperative if they, like their counterparts in Telangana and Anna, assert themselves and put pressure on the Congress high command and the UPA Government. Their pressure can make the Congress high command and the UPA Government to establish in the land of the Dogras a statutory regional council. Though regional council is not the real remedy, yet it can be taken as a great step forward.
The Jammu Congressmen, in short, would commit a grave blunder if they fail to read the writing on the wall: A change, if not a revolution, in the Duggarland is imminent, although one cannot say what the change would be or how or when it would come.
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