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| NC for Lokayuktas in all states, barring J&K | | Dubious Role, Hatred | |
Neha
JAMMU, Dec 31: What transpired in the Union Cabinet meetings this month and what happened in the Lok Sabha on December 27 and in Rajya Sabha on December 29 must make the people sit down and ponder over the attitude of the National Conference (NC) towards the processes of legislation in the country our law-makers participate in. The concerned people; all the political parties, barring the Congress, the NC, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and a couple of other marginal outfits; the objective commentators; and almost the entire media, both print and electronic, have already denounced the Congress party as anti-democratic. As for the BJP-led NDA, it has demanded resignation of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government, saying this government murdered democracy, undermined the institution of Parliament, disgraced the country and made India a laughing stock in the eyes of the international community. The entire opposition, plus the Congress allies like the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), have also painted the Congress black for varied reasons. It is hardly necessary to point out in detail what the Congress did to sabotage the passage of the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha and what the opposition parties did to corner and isolate the Congress, as everyone is aware of what transpired in the House of Elders between 11 a.m. and 12 in the night the same day.
However, it was the NC that played the most dubious role in the Parliament. NC president and Union Minister for Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah was a party to the Cabinet decision(s) on the Lokpal, which was moved in the Lok Saabha on December 27 in the morning and adopted the same day. Before December 27, Farooq Abdullah had stated and restated that the Parliament was supreme and that it was the prerogative of the Parliament to make laws. He had criticized Anna Hazare and his team members as well who were putting pressure on the Union Government to ensure that a strong, effective and independent Jan Lokpal Bill was adopted in the winter session of the Parliament. He had umpteen times supported the official Lokpal Bill. He had to because he was part of the Cabinet that took this decision unanimously. His son and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also joined his father in criticizing Anna Hazare. He, like his father, tweeted a number of times that the "Indian Parliament is supreme".
In other words, Farooq Abdullah supported the official moves in the Union Cabinet meetings and Lok Sabha on the Lokpal Bill and established that the approach of his outfit towards the processes of legislation for the country was no different. Fair enough. This should be the approach.
But can you ever imagine that the NC would adopt a contradictory stand on the issue in Rajya Sabha? You may not. But the fact is that the NC took a completely different stand on the Lokpal in the Upper House/Council of States. NC member in the Rajya Sabha Mohammad Shafi Uri opposed the Lokpal Bill, saying it proposed to set up Lokayuktas in the states, including Jammu and Kashmir. He raised questions over the inclusion of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the Union Government could not bring Jammu and Kashmir under the jurisdiction of the Lokpal because the "state under Article 370 enjoys special status". "If Whistleblowers Bill is not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir, why is Lokpal Bill applicable to the State," he said. It is, however, a different issue that Shafi was not allowed to raise the point by Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Hamid Ansari, who is also Vice-President of the country. However, it was Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha who said, "Notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution.... So, notwithstanding Article 370, it (Lokpal Bill) will apply to Jammu and Kashmir also."
Did not the NC leaders play a dubious role in the Parliament? They did. And, it was expected of them. They have been doing so since years. They belong to a school of thought that appreciates central laws as far as their application to other parts of the country is concerned and that denounces the same central laws when it comes to the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Why? Why because they believe that the Muslims of Kashmir are a race apart and that the application of the central laws to the state has the potential of "eroding" the so-called distinct identity of the valley and its people. This approach cannot work. You can become part of the legislation process that includes all other parts of the country but excludes Jammu and Kashmir. But it is India. Everything is allowed here. How sad! |
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