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| Congress causing more harm to Jammu | | No Delimitation -- II | | Neha
Jammu, Oct 5: The Congress again became part of the government in January 2009. In fact, it was the Congress that helped the NC capture power in the state and decided to become its junior partner. The people of Jammu province again expressed the hope that the Congress this time would not let down them and that it would fulfill what it had promised in its election manifesto. It was a false hope.
If between 2002 and 2005, the Congress put all its eggs in the PDP basket and allowed the latter to ride roughshod and jeopardize the legitimate rights of the people of Jammu province, between 2002 and July 7, 2008, when the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led ministry fell under the Jammu's pressure, the Congress did all that it could to further harm the people of Jammu province to further appease Kashmir and a section of Kashmiri population, already rather prosperous, powerful and well-entrenched.
The situation assumed alarming proportions when the Congress handed over the state power to the NC in 2009 - NC which was known for its anti-Jammu bias and contempt, as also known for its hatred for the Dogras. A couple of Jammu Congress leaders, including an MP, a former deputy chief minister and a minister in the Omar Abdullah-led coalition government did make some noises but ultimately they fell in line fearing their pro-Jammu stance might provoke Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to take action against them. They do not speak now. They are so mortally afraid.
The fact of the matter is that the Jammu Congress leadership is so week, meek and chicken-hearted that the NC doesn't care for what the Congress thinks about Jammu. The NC has been exploiting the weaknesses of the Congress and the result is that it has turned so arrogant and irrational that it had the audacity to declare on the floor of the legislative council that the government would not set up a delimitation commission to redraw the assembly constituencies, thus again exposing its utter bias against the people of Jammu province.
It bears recalling that the law and parliamentary minister Ali Mohammad Sagar rejected on October 3 the demand seeking appointment of a delimitation commission. Rejecting the suggestion, Sagar told the legislative council that a "provision exists in section 3 of the Jammu and Kashmir Representation of People's Act, 1957, which provides that until the relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2026 are published, it will not be necessary to constitute a commission to determine the delimitation of assembly constituencies. Therefore, any further delimitation is possible thereafter only."
Sagar also told the legislative council that "as per Section 4, the Delimitation Commission will readjust the extent and boundaries of the Assembly constituencies and as such the constitution and delimitation of Assembly constituencies is done by the Delimitation Commission having regard to the population, geographical compactness, nature of terrain, facilities of communication and the like consideration as per Section 4 of the Jammu and Kashmir Representation of Peoples Act, 1957" but this could be done only "after relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2026 are published".
It is important to note that Sagar didn't tell the legislative council that it was the NC itself which had amended the Representation of People's Act in February 2002 and inserted the words Sagar read out on October 3. He should have explained why the NC subverted the constitution. But he didn't do so. Instead, he tried to mislead the House by saying that section 3 of the J&K Representation of People's Act doesn't permit the government to constitute a delimitation commission.
Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in the country which is deprived of what is available to all other states under the Indian Constitution and Union Representation of People's Act, 1951. Constitution of delimitation after every census is a constitutional requirement. But here is a state which is governed by those who subverted the constitution in order to deny the people of Jammu their due share of representation in the legislative assembly. The worst aspect of the whole situation was the support the NC got from the Congress and the BJP for its anti-democratic and anti-Jammu move. It must remain a matter of shame for the Congress and the BJP.
Even more disturbing was the fact that none in the legislative council dared to question Sagar and the NC-Congress coalition government. This only means that all those who were present in the legislative council on October 3 were quite satisfied with what Sagar said and to which parties they belong? All belong to the NC, the Congress and the PDP, barring the one belonging to the JKNPP. This is the situation. Even a naïve can draw a definite conclusion. Will the Jammu legislators rise to the occasion and fight for the genuine cause of the people, they say, they represent? (Concluded) |
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