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| Opposition of Jammu Congress MLAs to BJP demand intriguing | | Separate Budgets | | Neha
JAMMU, Feb 25: BJP MLA from Jammu East Assembly constituency Ashok Khajuria has opined that if equitable development of all the three regions of the state is to be ensured and discrimination with the people of Jammu province and Ladakh region ended, then there has to be three separate budgets, one each for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. There is but one way in which equitable development of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh could be ensured and menace of discrimination ended and that is by passing three different budgets for three different regions was the upshot of his whole argument. Not to concede this demand would force the BJP to demand separation from Kashmir, Khajuria also said. He put forth the suggestion in favour of separate budgets yesterday in the assembly while participating in debate on Motion of Thanks to the Governor's Address.
Underlining the need for separate budgets for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, Khajuria, among other things, said, "the Congress has been indulging in mischievous politics to enjoy the loaves and fishes of office. Sometimes it supports the PDP to become a partner in the Government and sometimes it joins National Conference for the same purpose. It is unscrupulousness; it is a politics of rank opportunism. The Congress is instrumental in discrimination with Jammu region. The Kashmiri Hindus were forcibly evicted from the Kashmir Valley. The Government has failed to give rights to the refugees from West Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). It has become customary with the government to lathi-charge people demanding their rights like Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare. The National Conference and Congress are promoting Taliban psyche, which was responsible for the demolition of Bamyan Budha statue in Afghanistan. Rs. 356 crore have been raised for Dal lake (Kashmir), while not even a single penny has been given to Mansar and Surinsar lakes (Jammu)". He staged a walk-out after making his speech on discrimination with Jammu province.
What Khajuria said while demanding separate budgets just could not be construed as a manifestation of his bias against Kashmir or Kashmiri people. What he said was based on some very hard facts. However, what was more significant was the fact that he directed his attack against the Congress, particularly against the Jammu-based Congress ministers, instead of the National Conference, which has been leading the state since January 2009. His comment that "the Congress is instrumental in discrimination with Jammu region" should clinch the whole issue and establish that the BJP considers the Congress as the mother of all ills facing the people of Jammu province. He did make a valid point when he held the Congress in general and the Jammu-based Congress ministers in particular responsible for the miserable plight of the people of Jammu province. It is indeed the Jammu-based Congress leaders, including ministers and MLAs, who have all along bartered the interests of the people of Jammu province. On the first day of the budget session also, Khajuria and other BJP MLAs had demanded resignation of the Jammu-based Congress ministers and their arguments were the same.
What was more surprising, however, was the negative response the suggestion of Khajuria evoked from the Jammu-based Congress MLAs like Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Abdul Majeed Wani, Mohammad Sharief Niaz, Indu Pawar and Krishan Chand Bhagat. They took on the BJP, rejected the demand for separate budgets and asserted that the "Congress has always treated entire Jammu and Kashmir as one unit and given Jammu its due share". Some National Conference MLAs also took on Khajuria but their issue was different. They, including Saifullah Mir and Nazir Gurezi, accused Khajuria of "speaking communal language in the secular State". "Khajuria is propagating communalism,'' Saifullah said. Obviously, they were referring to the Khajuria's statements on displaced Kashmiri Hindus, refugees from West Pakistan and POJK and destruction of Bamyan Budha statue in Afghanistan.
The opposition of the Jammu-based Congress MLAs to the suggestion put forth by Khajuria was both intriguing and disturbing. Their opposition virtually vindicated the Khajuria's charge that it is the Congress that is the real enemy of Jammu. Will the Jammu-based Congress ministers and Congress MLAs see reason and persuade their own government to prepare and adopt three different budgets, one each for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh? It would be better if they read their own manifestos and force the government to amend the state constitution to federalise the state polity and an adequately empowered regional council is established in Jammu. They must remember that their manifestos had candidly acknowledged that Jammu province was a victim of discriminatory policies. |
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