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| 'Three provincial govts in J&K' | | NC's autonomy concept divisive | | Rustam
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 2: An NC leader from Jammu province on Sunday advocated not only regional autonomy for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh but also advocated the need for dividing the existing distinct regions into sub-regions. "This is imperative to offset the perceived sense of alienation, imbalances and discrimination among different regions and their sub-regions, particularly in view of the serious attempts by divisive political elements during the just concluded elections to sow the seeds of polarization and create iron cast compartments on the basis of region and religion," he said.
By divisive forces he didn't mean Kashmiri separatists, who had dotted the state's political scene with death and destruction at regular intervals during the last more than four decades for ensuring the state's separation from India and its merger with Pakistan or achieving independence for the state from India. Nor did he mean the NC, which had consistently attacked the Indian institutions, the Indian Constitution, in fact, everything Indian and sought a very special status for Kashmir outside the Indian Constitution on the ground that it was a Muslim-majority region. Nor did he mean the parties like the Congress and the CPI and the CPI-M and similar other fake secular outfits. He only meant those political parties which stood for the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and which also stood for the genuine empowerment of the neglected regions of the state as well as neglected and marginalized social groups, particularly those inhabiting the ignored Jammu province. By divisive political elements he not only meant the BJP, which inflicted a rushing defeat on the NC and the Congress in Jammu province, but also the PDP, which also inflicted an ignominious defeat on the NC and the Congress in Kashmir. The PDP and the BJP won 25 seats each in Kashmir and Jammu, respectively, and emerged as great political forces in the state's two regions relegating the NC and the Congress to third and forth position, respectively.
The suggestion put forth by the so-called NC leader, who invariably indulges in rabble-rousing and misses no opportunity to please his masters in the Valley, not only talked about regional autonomy, federalization of the state polity and elected autonomous districts, but also talked about the unity and integrity of the state. The state must remain a one political unit with its regions, sub-regions and districts enjoying developmental and political powers. He completely overlooked the fact that only full-fledged states enjoy political power. You cannot enjoy full political power unless you have the power to legislate for the region and the people it houses. But one cannot expect sound views from any NC leader. After all, the NC, like the Congress, is a party that has caused irreparable damage to the state polity and society by pursing a highly divisive and sectarian ideology.
Any way, the timing of his suggestion was significant. His suggestion came in the wake of the fractured mandate that the people of the state gave in the just-held assembly elections. In Jammu an overwhelming majority of population voted for the BJP. The BJP won 25 out of 37 seats in the province and the Congress, the NC and the PDP won five, three and three seats, respectively. One seat went to an independent candidate, a BJP rebel. In other words, the BJP won more than 70 per cent of the total seats. The mandate was clear. In Kashmir, the PDP captured 25 seats out of 46 and the NC, the Congress and the People's Conference won 12, four and two seats, respectively. Three seats were captured by independent candidates. Thus, the PDP captured more than 50 per cent seats from the Valley. In other words, the people of the Valley also gave a somewhat clear verdict in favour of the PDP. Similarly, in Ladakh, the Congress won three out of four seats. In other words, it won 75 per cent of the total seats in the cold-desert Ladakh. The remaining fourth seat was won by an independent candidate, who is now with the PDP.
Many serious J&K-watchers described the 2014 verdict as a verdict for trifurcation, saying by voting differently the people in the state's different regions established beyond any shadow of doubt that they have different political aspirations and the contradictions in the political perceptions of the people inhabiting different regions are irreconcilable. At the same time, most of them expressed the view that an alliance between the PDP and the BJP was the only viable alliance which can end inter-regional bitterness or harmonize inter-regional relations and keep the state intact. Very interestingly, some of them suggested that it would be the negation of the mandate if the state is not divided into three states. Some suggested the establishment of three provincial governments, one each for Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh.
The suggestions inn favour of the state's division or in favour of three provincial governments in the state cannot be ignored considering the nature of the mandate. It would be desirable if three provincial governments are established in the state, as such a political reform has the potential of easing inter-regional tensions and satisfying the urges of the people of the state's three distinct regions. As for the NC's autonomy concept, it needs to be rejected out-of-hand as it is highly divisive and against the very idea of India.
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