Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 9: What an irony! A party that fought for decades for the repeal of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, application of the Indian Constitution to the state in full, barring Article 370, and for Ek Nishan today is not only defending the state constitution, but also the state's separate flag. In fact, the BJP has taken the state flag right into the sacred Pt Prem Nath Dogra Bhawan, Kachi Chowni, -- a Bhawan from where Sher-e-Duggar Pt Prem Nath Dogra and his committed followers launched several movements against the votaries of autonomy, the state's special status and secessionists to defeat them and integrate the state with India constitutionally, politically and financially. Pt Prem Nath Dogra Bhawan inspired thousands and thousands of people of Jammu who were always eager to sacrifice their all for the national cause in the state. Indeed, many inspired by this Bhawan laid down their lives for the national cause in the state. But the today's BJP, which is dominated by half-baked BJP ideologues like Ram Madhav, has disgraced Pt Prem Nath Dogra Bhawan just to enable half a dozen party MLAs to get ministerial berths.
Is it not an irony that the BJP ministers and MLAs took oath to uphold the state's separate constitution and separate flag?
What happened in the Assembly on Tuesday was something no one had ever expected. Rajesh Gupta, MLA Jammu East, embarrassed BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and thoroughly exposed the party to which he belonged by asking a question if the state government was considering the demand for the adoption of 73rd constitutional amendment to empower the panchayats so that they could cater to the needs of the people at the grassroots level? In a written reply to the question, Nirmal Singh, who also holds the portfolio of the Housing and Urban Development, said the "73rd Amendment was not applicable to J&K in view of the special constitutional position enjoyed by the state under the Constitution of India". "The Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act 2014 had been enacted to bring in the broad features of the 73rd Amendment in the state," he also said.
The BJP in election manifesto, which was not released under pressure from top BJP leaders such BJP national president Amit Shah, party's national general secretary Ram Madhav, MP and Jammu and Kashmir Prabhari Avinash Rai Khanna and so on, and its Vision Document had clearly said that the BJP, if voted to power, will adopt and implement 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments to strenghthen panchayats and local-bodies, including corporations, municipal committees and municipal boards. On Tuesday, it did a complete U-turn and went back on its commitment. Nirmal Singh spoke the language the NC and other Kashmiri parties used to speak on the issue. Interestingly, the PDP too had repeatedly appreciated 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments. |
