Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan7: The former Union Minister, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta today said that no regional autonomy in J&K would be fruitful unless there is fair delimitation of the Assembly Constituencies and all the three regions of the State are ensured due representation by bringing an end to manifested domination of one region over the other.
While commenting on the various slogans being raised by the ever changing colors of politicians of Kashmir and their cronies else where, he in a statement pointed out that when the Indian Constitution was being framed, in the Constituent Assembly at the Centre the three top leaders of National Conference viz. Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah, Mirza Afzal Beigh and Moulana Masoodi represented Kashmir, and they picked up one Moti Ram Biagra to represent Jammu. None was from Ladakh. These State “representatives” got listed the name of this State just as Kashmir and Kashmiri as language. It is a different matter that later on the name was amended as J&K at the intervention of some visionary members of the Drafting Committee.
Tracing out the history of elections in J&K after the end of dynastic rule of the Maharajas, Prof. Gupta recalled that in absence of the Election Commission of India, in 1951, the delimitation of Assembly constituencies, was conducted under the guidance of the NC leader and a Minister of the Interim Government Mirza Afzal Beigh.
In the 100 member Assembly 25 seats were kept vacant for Pak held areas. And in the remaining 75 member body, 43 seats were allotted to Kashmir Valley, 30 to Jammu and just two to Ladakh although there was almost equal population of Kashmir and Jammu regions.
The leader of the Praja parishad Pandit Prem Nath Dogra was put in detention at Srinagar jail dubbing him as ” Communal, reactionary and agent of feudalism”. The Maharaja Hari Singh who had signed the Instrument of Accession which provided legal sanctity to J&K of being an integral part of India, was put in exile.
He said that it was height of ill will in 2001 when the number of voters of Jammu region were recorded over one lakh more that of the valley, The Farooq Abdullah led NC Government amended even the Constitution and an embargo has been put that no delimitation would be conducted till 2026. This would mean no change till 2031 Census.
This has closed the door for any fair play, he said and added that this has also denied the chances of any political reservation to Gujjar Bakerwals, Gaddies etc.
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