Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 16: Upcoming autumn session of the Legislature, albeit brief, was expected to be stormy with all major opposition parties bracing up to corner National Conference-Congress coalition Government on several fronts including what they called “eroding sanctity of various anti-graft institutions”.
Delay in holding of elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), Block Development Councils (BDCs), empowerment of Panchayats and implementation of 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution of India would be raked up by majority of opposition parties notwithstanding an announcement by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that elections to Municipalities and ULBs would be completed before December this year.
Though 10-days long autumn session from October 1-10 in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, would have only seven sittings, the representatives of main opposition parties including People’s Democratic Party (PDP), BJP, BJP rebels, NPP, JSM and couple of Independent candidates would leave no stone unturned to take on the Government on a host of issues.
“Instead of giving more powers to State Accountability Commission (SAC) and State Information Commission (SIC), the State had just done the reverse. It has snatched whatever powers they had. The State Vigilance Commission (SVC) in no way near sight”, PDP chief whip Abdul Gaffar Sofi said, adding that the empowerment of powers remained a distant dream.
“Instead of strengthening the institutions, which were vital for fighting corruption and ensuring transparency, the Government has snatched even whatever powers these institutions had rendering them virtually in effective”, Mr Sofi said, adding that the PDP was going to take up all these issues along with others vociferously in the Assembly session.
BJP leader Ashok Khajuria, MLA City East, said the National Conference-Congress coalition Government have turned a Nelson’s eye towards Jammu. “We are going to raise the issue of empowerment of Panchayats and Municipalities in a big way by implementing 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution of India”, he said.
Noting that even Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had asked the State Government to implement these two amendments, Mr Khajuria regretted the inaction on part of the ruling dispensation. He claimed that an important project for Jammu City from tourist point of view-the Gondola from Mubarak Mandi to Bagh-e-Bahu was deliberately being delayed and now there were reports that it could be even shelved.
“All this reflected communal approach of the Government towards Jammu, which would be highlighted in the Assembly”, Mr Khajuria said, adding that all important institutions like SAC, SIC etc have been rendered defunct while the SVC hadn’t been constituted even after nearly two years of the legislation. He said the Government was no sincere in holding elections to Municipalities and BDCs.
NPP Legislature Party leader Harshdev Singh said there was no governance worth name and this would be the major plank of the party in the Assembly.
“All Government departments have collapsed. Administrative machinery didn’t exist. The Centrally Sponsored Schemes have failed to take off. Corruption is at its peak. The common man is disenchanted and disappointed. The Government has recorded zero performance. Unemployment is rising. All institutions have been rendered defunct. Five vacancies in the PSC have not been filled for a long time. There is no Chairman of Services Selection Board (SSB). For the past 18 months, there is no quorum in the Backward Classes Commission (BCC) to hold meet. Only in Education Department, 27,000 posts were lying vacant”, Mr Singh said.
However, the National Conference has also geared up to effectively counter allegations of the PDP and other major opposition parties.
NC spokesman Sajjad Kitchloo said the opposition was unable to see achievements of Omar Abdullah Government, which has changed development scenario of the State during past three and a half years.
“The Panchayat elections, implementation of Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA), initiating all round development across the State without discrimination to any region, implementation of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes, major projects like construction and widening of roads and bridges were taken up and completed by the present Government”, Mr Kitchloo said and added that NC and Congress would jointly and strongly counter the baseless allegations of the opposition parties, which have no agenda except for criticizing Omar Government, which has been taking Jammu and Kashmir to path of development.
Anticipating that the Assembly session could be stormy, Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone has already decided to convene a meeting of leaders of all political parties and Independent MLAs ahead of the session to request them to maintain discipline and decorum in the House to ensure smooth proceedings.
Meanwhile, BJP rebel group leader Prof Chaman Lal Gupta said he has introduced significant private member’s bills and resolutions in the Legislative Assembly seeking setting up of Lok Pal in the State to end corruption, give political reservations to Gujjars and Bakerwals, free medical tests for poor sections of society, proper maintenance of Jammu roads and resolution of all problems faced by Kashmiri migrants and militancy victims.
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