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| No rotational CM:BJP ditches Jammu again | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Mar 26: The J&K BJP had contested the last Assembly elections on three main planks - Hindu Chief Minister from Jammu, removal from the statute books all provisions that hold J&K aloof from India and eradication of the scourge of terrorism and separatism. These three slogans clicked and the Jammu electorate returned 25 BJP candidates to the Assembly. They won the election with huge margins, despite the fact that most of the candidates were unknown and greenhorn in politics. Such was the impact of the BJP's slogans on the Jammu electorate and it was expected lines considering the nature of Jammu's ideology and very serious problems.
The people of Jammu province had then naturally expected that the BJP will honour its solemn electoral promises and seal a power-sharing deal that would treat both the regions - Jammu and Kashmir -- equally and provides for rotational Chief Ministership. Their hope had also stemmed from the 2002 Congress-PDP power-sharing deal. Under this deal, the PDP, which had won 16 seats (all from Kashmir), was to lead the state Government for the first three years and the Congress, which had won 20 seats (15 from Jammu, three from Kashmir and two from Ladakh), was to lead the state Government for the remaining three years. And it did happen. PDP patron late Mufti Sayeed led the state for the first three years and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad headed the state Government after the PDP completed its term in office.
However, the BJP and its ally People's Conference, which had won 27 seats, one seat less than the PDP, dashed all the hopes of the people of Jammu region by sealing a power-sharing deal that gave the office of Chief Minister to Kashmir for a full term of six years. Not only this, the BJP also surrendered everything to Kashmir. Kashmir got 70 per cent berths in the state Cabinet and Jammu province only 30 per cent. Besides, Kashmir also manipulated all the important portfolios, including the portfolios of Home, Finance, Planning, Revenue, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Education and Tourism. The BJP left the people of Jammu province high and dry as Jammu could get only PDD, Irrigation, Industry, Medical Education, Forest, Transport and so on. None of these departments carried any political weight. These portfolios only helped the BJP Ministers, the cronies and the middlemen to promote their own interests.
It was hoped that the BJP this time would look back and recall what it had promised to the people of Jammu province in 2014 and pitch for rotational Chief Ministership, but the power hungry BJP again ditched the people of Jammu province and handed over the office of Chief Minister to Kashmir for the remaining term of almost five years. Reports which emanated from the State guest House on Friday and from the BJP office on Saturday clearly suggested that the BJP didn't discuss this issue at all, notwithstanding the fact that the people of Jammu region held this issue as an issue of their self-respect. Reports further suggested that the "BJP will get the same number of berths in the Cabinet and the same portfolios".
These reports, which were based on the inputs given by some of those who were part of the deliberation on the Government formation in the state, if correct, would further annoy the people of Jammu province.
Why is the BJP ditching the people of Jammu province and betraying their trust again and again in a most shameless manner? Did the people of Jammu province give mandate to the BJP to become slaves of Kashmir? Did they commit a crime by voting for the BJP? The BJP leadership has to answer these questions. It cannot ditch them and go scot-free. The people of Jammu province are already rather angry with the BJP and their exclusion from the office of Chief Minister would further embitter the relations with the BJP. There is still time for the BJP to fulfill the Jammu's urge for the office of Chief Minister and equal political status with Kashmir. |
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