JAMMU: Jammu is caught in cobwebs of its own making to the advantage of the political and economic forces that want to see the region downgraded and disempowered. The region has a litany of complaints against the governing system, which have been raging for decades. No political set up has been fair to it. Unfortunately, the games of those inflicting pain and deprivation on the region and its generations have been aided by some of the leaders of this place who only wanted to butter their own bread, leaving others high and dry. Time has come to change that attitude once and for all.
Another misfortune has been that the region has never allowed itself to study its problems in clear terms. In absence of this, a proper diagnosis has escaped to the disadvantage of the people, as without proper diagnosis there can be no solution either.
After the recent Assembly elections in which the National Conference won a majority of seats and formed the government, a peculiar situation has arisen; the party that won the majority of seats in Jammu is out of the government.
Jammu voted heavily in favour of BJP and made it to win 29 out of 43 seats, leaving only 14 seats for the other parties- National Conference, Congress, AAP and Independents. Almost all independents joined or supported the National Conference and the BJP’s tally stayed where it was on October 8, the day of results. As the misfortune would have it, one of its stalwarts Devender Singh Rana lost his battle with life and the number stands at 28.
In democracy, more than percentage of votes, the number of seats matter. Numerically, the NC has larger numbers in its kitty as compared to BJP. The NC is leading the government, and the BJP is in opposition. The opposition in democracy is no less important than the ruling party, as it has no constraints in raising issues of its constituents. The only limit is adherence to the constitutional norms.
The one-month calendar of the Omar Abdullah government saw a resolution by its cabinet on the restoration of the statehood , followed by a resolution in the Assembly insisting on the restoration of the special status as it existed before the abrogation of Article 370, though all this has been stated in political metaphors .It also reverted to the November academic session in the winter zone of Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley .The government is pursuing its agenda – political and the rest of it by adopting a middle-path . It is seeking not to annoy the Centre while keeping work on agenda items in progress.
Where does it leave Jammu? The Omar government gave three ministerial berths to the region, including that of Deputy Chief Minister. Some of the measures like enhancing the age limit for the competitive examinations is applicable to all in the two regions, and their sub regions.
The BJP, with a vast mandate from the region, should have risen to the occasion and insisted on fulfilling its agenda. It needs to bring in clarity in its priority list. It is not only the ruling party that has to fulfil its agenda; the opposition too has its responsibilities. There is an added responsibility for the BJP MLAs: to air all the grievances and seek their redressal in an effective manner. It should understand and understand it well that they have been given the custodianship of the rights of Jammu, and the party cannot cover itself with the excuse that it is in opposition and cannot do anything except to protest in seminars and streets.
First the BJP must understand that it is entrusted with the task to defend Indian nationalism as Jammu. Historically, this region has been a spring of Indian nationalism. It is an inspiration not just for its own people but for the rest of the country as it stood like a rock against the assault on nationalism , and continues to do so.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi infused a new life into nationalism and hailed Jammu’s unquestioned patriotic spirit. This has given a clear direction to the party and its workers. They don’t have to just fight the discrimination but also stand as a custodian of the Indian patriotism against all the possible and probable onslaughts on it.
Then there are day to day problems that BJP should highlight in an effective manner through debates and discussions and spread political education among the masses. For that, it is very important that the lawmakers learn to define their own direction in line with the expectations of the country and the people of the region, in particular. Jammu has a pivotal role and the BJP must play that so that the masses get a sense of empowerment in this politically volatile situation in which J&K is today.
