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| Ajatshatru in Vikramaditya's footsteps | | Struggle for AIIMS | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 28: Last week, it was PDP MLC Vikramaditya Singh, son of senior Congress leader and former Sadar-e-Riyasat of J&K, Karan Singh, who sprung a big surprise by taking a line different from the PDP-BJP coalition government in the state and batted for the establishment of the sanctioned AIIMS in Jammu. He appreciated the efforts of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Asociation, Jammu, the Congress, the NC and all others who gave and supported the bandh call in Jammu province and described the demand for the setting up of the AIIMS in Jammu genuine. He also appealed to the state government and the central government to concede the demand at the earliest. His intervention was appreciated in Jammu. Interestingly, on Monday, Education Minister and senior PDP leader Nayeem Akhtar declared that the AIIMS will be first established in Kashmir and Jammu has to wait. "Jammu has IIT and IIM. Let the government facilitate setting up AIIMS in Kashmir first, then there can be 10 such hospitals in the State," he said in Srinagar.
On Monday, Vikramaditya's brother and BJP MLC, Ajatshatru Singh, followed in the footsteps of the former and demanded the establishment of the proposed AIIMS. In fact, he took a line that was not consistent with the line Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader took last Friday. Last Froday, Nirmal Singh had rebuffed and taunted the people of Jammu region and those who organized the massive Jammu bandh on April 24 and declared that no one can "snatch AIIMS from Kashmir". Earlier, Nirmal Singh had charged India with misusing the Jammu and Kashmir land and water and demanded return of NHPC-constructed and controlled power projects to the state government.
Putting forth demand seeking establishment of the AIIMS in Jammu, Ajatshatru said in a written statement that "due to unique geographical terrain of the State both the regions need to have independent medical facilities" and that "the people of Jammu have already struggled for this long pending demand and should not be ignored in this regard". So much so, he questioned the policies of the state government and the central government and urged them to maintain a regional balance.
"Even during the Dogra Rule of more than hundred years, the two regions were given various institutions in a balanced manner as hospitals, roads, schools, and educational institutions were established across the State to provide fruits of development to all the citizens. The present Governments in the State and the Centre should continue that spirit of all-inclusive development that was a hallmark of developmental activities in the golden past of the State," he said. He was right when he referred to the nature of the Dogra rule that did maintain a regional balance considering the needs of the different regions.
The statements of Ajatshatru singh that the Union Government should "resolve the issue by immediately sanctioning another AIIMS for the State as it is not viable for the hill State to cover all the population from a single location" and that "establishment of AIIMS in Jammu will also be beneficial for the adjoining areas of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh" clearly indicated that there is simmering within the party. It is likely that others in the BJP might also muster courage and tell the party high command that its attitude towards Jammu was hostile and that the party would suffer political losses in the state in case it continued to pursue anti-Jammu policies. It is interesting to note that Sunil Sethi, chief spokesperson of the BJP, had on April 23 supported the bandh call while speaking in a meeting organized by the Bar Association Jammu to discuss the situation in Jammu arising out of the government decision to set up AIIMS in Kashmir. |
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