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| Assembly to discuss bill on Guru today | | Nation At Stake | | Rustam
JAMMU, Sept 27: The D-day has finally come. The J&K Legislative Assembly will discuss, consider, and even take a final view on the private member's bill seeking mercy for Afzal Guru, whose fate is in the hands of the Union President, if the bill actually comes up for discussion. Indications are to the effect that the bill will be discussed, notwithstanding some reports to the contrary, including the report that the behind-the-scene influence might succeed in persuading Engineer Rashid, who had submitted the said bill, to either withdraw it or not to insist on voting on it. One has to wait and see what shape things finally take. But one thing is very clear: The nation is at stake.
The very fact that the said bill was accepted at the very first stage by the ruling party and finally enlisted for discussion has indicated the intentions of the ruling party with the concerned citizens describing the intentions of the NC and its coalition partner Congress not noble. They are of the view that the discussion and adoption of the bill will not only undermine the Indian judiciary and the rule of law but would also embolden anti-India forces to intensify their break-India activities.
The situation as it prevails at this moment is quite uncertain. The NC, which might have a tacit understanding with Rashid, could be under pressure to create an environment that prevents discussion and decision on the bill on Guru. Reports suggest that the Union Home Ministry is in touch with those who matter in the NC with a view to devising a strategy that defeats the bill even before it is presented in the house and discussed. There are also reports that a powerful section of the Congress leadership in Jammu wants the AICC president to direct NC president and Union Minister for Renewable Energy Farooq Abdulah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah not to allow discussion on the bill as discussion and the adoption of the bill in the form of a resolution would provoke sharp reactions in Jammu and elsewhere and the result would be enormous political losses to the Congress party across the country. There is no doubt whatever that an overwhelming majority in the Congress party in Jammu province is rabidly opposed to the idea of the bill being discussed in the assembly, though it has not dared till now to go public and express its opinion. Nor will it dare to open its mouth because it is mortally afraid of Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, who visited the state for two days (Sep 26 and 27) reportedly in connection with party work and didn't make his stand clear on the demand for rotational Chief Minister.
One doesn't know if the local Congress leadership succeeds of fails. It has already lost the game. It cannot retrieve the lost ground because it doesn't have the required will and courage to sever ties with the NC. This is not the issue. The basic question is: Will the NC, which is being roundly criticized and ridiculed by the PDP almost everyday, muster courage to create an environment on the floor of the assembly that makes discussion on the bill on Guru impossible? The answer is simple. The NC cannot afford to do so, as it would be interpreted by the vocal, aggressive and ambitious PDP leadership as a complete surrender/complete U-turn - U-turn taken to save the chair. Hence, like the Congress, the NC is also in a fix. It has only two options: vote for the bill and gain some political (read communal) mileage or disallow discussion and decision on the bill and become an object of contempt and ridicule. Still, however, the NC is in an advantageous position because it, unlike the Congress, has also the option of quitting the government on an emotive issue and recommending dissolution of the assembly and preparing ground for a snap poll. Loss of power on an emotive issue means something in the Valley because the Kashmiri leadership has always enjoyed power by arousing popular feelings in Kashmir.
Let's wait and see what happens on the D-day. Whosoever wins in the assembly, the nation would be the loser in the final analysis and everyone would like the law-makers to avert this eventuality or impending disaster. Will they? |
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