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| Cong raises banner of revolt, terms DDB meetings 'useless' | | 'It is only Kabab-Chai-Ghostaba in erstwhile Distt Doda' | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, July 26: In a major embarrassment to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah led coalition government, Congress legislators of erstwhile district Doda not only boycotted crucial district development board meetings but went on to term entire exercise 'useless' National Conference oriented and insignificant.
This is the second such incident after the formation of National Conference-Congress collation government in Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2009. Earlier, legislators of opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boycotted DDB meetings alleging non-seriousness of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah towards the issues raised by them.
Sources in the government said that messages were repeatedly flashed by a top aide of Chief Minister to all these MLAs to attend the DDB meet but they preferred to give vent to their anger over the non-seriousness of officers in implementing decisions of DDB meetings in letter and spirit. They added that even leaders of congress in New Delhi were rung but to no avail.
Like Kishtwar where NC MLA Sajjad Kitchloo attended the meet, NC MLC Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardy following on the directions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was the lone political person who attended today's DDB meet at Doda. Congress MP, MLAs and MLCs all stayed home, preferring hearing at the top over what they term as attending 'Kabab-Chai-Ghostaba' meetings.
This time, congress legislators which includes Member Parliament Lal Singh, five MLAs namely Majid Wani, Ashok Kumar, Abdul Majid Wani, Viqar Rasool, Ghulam Mohammed Saroori and Mohammed Sharief Niaz alongwith one MLC Naresh Gupta have raised banner of revolt alleging that government has made a mockery of district development board meetings. They maintain that decisions taken during the meetings are not implemented on ground.
Though Ramban district is likely to host the DDB meeting tomorrow but MLA Banihal Viqar Rasool and MLA Ramban Ashok Kumar have both made it clear that they would not become part of an exercise which has no meaning for them. These MLAs have explicitly stated that DDB meetings would remain inconsequential till the time 'corrupt, inefficient and abhorrent' heads in the administration do not roll.
These MLAs in clear terms state that government has adopted a discriminatory attitude towards the region which is feeding power to the entire state. They maintain that government has seemingly decided to take erstwhile district Doda back to the days of extreme backwardness from where former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was trying to bring it back. "Development has stagnated," commented an MLA.
He added that from Chief Minister to Chief Secretary, none is bothered about erstwhile District Doda which now is a three district region. "Flow of funds is extremely slow. Pace of development is staggered while the government off and on claims that region has seen unprecedented development during the last two and a half years, things are completely different on ground. We are being ignored by design," added another MLA.
Ruling out the often repeated inter-congress rivalry as reason behind skipping the DDB meet, a close aide of former Chief Minister said "Minister for Health Sham Lal Sharma is our party minister as well as party colleague. We respect him and had it been his personal meeting, we would have loved to be part of it but it was a government exercise and we are angry with the government and not with Shamji." He clarified that it is just the beginning and they would further intensify their agitation in the days ahead.
However, insiders maintain that Congress legislator's boycott stems from the absence of a minister in the cabinet from among the 7 elected congress legislators of erstwhile district Doda. "They are ignoring our region by design. We won't allow this to continue. Mr. Saroori was removed from the cabinet on flimsy grounds. Government should either redress our issues or declare our areas 'backward till doomsday," said another MLA. |
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