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| NC out to sabotage refugee, daughters' cause | | Article 35-A | | Early Times Report
jammu, Oct 24: The National Conference (NC), which has been consistently declining in the state since 2002 under the "unpopular" leadership of Omar Abdullah, former J&K Chief Minister and presently Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly, on Friday reiterated that it will sabotage the ongoing movement in Jammu province aimed at obtaining citizenship rights for the refugees from Pakistan, all Hindus, and children of the daughters of the state married outside the state to non-state subjects.
In 2002, the NC suffered a massive defeat in the assembly elections. It won only 28 seats. In 1996, the NC under the leadership of Farooq Abdullah had won 57 seats in the 87-member Assembly - two-third majority. In 2008, the main opposition NC could win only 28 seats And in 2014, it tally came down to just 18. Omar Abdullah led the party from the front only to damage the party's poll prospects.
The Jammu province unit of the NC, which on Friday held a day-long meeting of the party cadres at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan, Jammu, instead of examining the causes of the party's three consecutive massive defeats in Jammu province, expressed itself in favour of anti-democratic, anti-refugee, anti-daughters of the state and divisive Article 35-A and declared that the party would counter the propaganda of the critics of this Article.
The NC described Article 35-A of the Indian Constitution as "identity of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh" and said that the critics of this atrocious Article "have unleashed a sinister, malicious and misleading campaign by describing Article 35-A as religion and region specific". It shamelessly claimed that this Article "safeguards the rights of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists of the State".
It would not be out of place to mention here that it is not because of Article 370 that the refugees from Pakistan and children of daughters of the state married outside the state to non-state subjects do not enjoy citizenship rights in the state. Article 370 simply defines the centre-state relationship. It is the state subject laws, which were enacted during the time of Maharaja Hari Singh to reject the demand of Kashmiri Muslim leadership seeking appointment of "educated Muslims from Punjab" and other British Indian states against posts from peon to governor in J&K, and Article 35-A, which was introduced in the state on May 14, 1954, that have barred the refugees from Pakistan and children of the daughters of the state married outside the state to non-state subjects of all those rights which are available to the state subjects. These rights include the right to own immovable property in the state, right to employment under state government, right to settlement, right to state-sponsored scholarships and so on.
Article 35-A was a conspiracy hatched by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his coterie of which protagonist of "Switzerland-type independent Kashmir" Sheikh Abdullah was also a part. It was adopted without taking the Indian Parliament into confidence to appease the fanatics and anti-minority forces in the Valley and create a high wall between the so-called state subjects and ret of the Indians.
It also needs to be noted that an NGO has approached the Supreme Court of India and urged it to declare Article 35-A null and void. It is listed for hearing on November 3. The move of the NGO has rattled not only the communal and pro-greater autonomy NC but the entire Kashmiri leadership, including the separatists and Kashmir Bar leadership. They have all joined hands against the move and urged the PDP-BJP coalition government to defend Article 35-A in the Supreme Court so that it remains in existence. The Kashmir Bar Association has even thought of intervening as an intervener. During the past four months, the votaries of Article 35-A, including separatists, civil society leaders and lawyers, have organized seminars on Article 35-A and in one voice declared that they would defeat the moves of those demanding abrogation of this Article.
By endorsing Article 35-A, the NC has once again established that it is as undemocratic as its anti-refugees and anti-daughters. In fact, it has further hurt the sentiments of those in Jammu province who have been leading a wretched life since 1947. They will not forgive the NC and similar other anti-democratic outfits. |
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