Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 5: BJP and Congress among all the Jammu based political parties have expressed their delight over the purported move for delimitation of Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure fair representation to all three regions of the State.
In a statement, former Union Minister Prof Chaman Lal Gupta said that there was never a fair delimitation and even in 2001, when Jammu was ahead of Kashmir in respect of the voters strength, the Farooq led NC Government had mysteriously amended the State Constitution putting an embargo that there would be no delimitation till 2026, which means after the census of 2031. “It is good that strong Government at the Centre has paid its attention to this important issue, which could rectify many wrongs and lead to solution to regional disparities and various other problems including that of controversial voices being raised under communal consideration and lack of national outlook,” he added.
Pradesh Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that the Congress party favours early delimitation in a time bound manner and completion of the process before the conduct of Assembly elections in the State. However, he also doubted the intention of the BJP in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections in the State and said that this should not be a another political stunt and election issue only like in the past alongwith several such commitments of BJP which remained unfulfilled, being at the Centre and State since 2014.
Former MLA and president of Panthers Party, Balwant Singh Mankotia has appreciates the Central Government’s move for the delimitation of constituencies, which has always remained core issue of JKNPP. He also demanded adjustment of 24 Assembly seats in Jammu region, which have been reserved for PoK refugees as all of them are settled in Jammu.
State BJP spokesperson and former MLA, R S Pathania welcomed the proposed move and also called upon the Central Govt to initiate immediate steps to amend Section-2 of the J&K Constitution so as to facilitate the Grant of State Subject rights in favour of the deprived classes i.e, women married outside the Jammu & Kashmir, Valmikis, Gorkhas and the West-Pak refugees.
Shiv Sena Bala Saheb Thackeray, State president Dimpy Kohli and State general secretary Manish Sahni today said that the initiative taken by the NDA Government to provide equal rights to Jammu, has stirred up Kashmiri leaders, who are not digesting the political equality to Jammu and thus giving un-necessary statements.
Shiv Sena Hindustan national vice president Pt Rajesh Kesri, said that Governor of J&K is competent to constitute Delimitation Commission within the meaning and scope of Section 3 of the Representation of People Act, of J&K as well as under the mandate of Section 47 of the Constitution of J&K. “In the absence of the Legislative Assembly or during the Governor Rule in the State, the Governor enjoys powers of legislature/executive both and he has every responsibility to uphold the principles of natural justice and rule of law in the State so that any discrimination or injustice with a region on political ground is washed away for all times,” he added.
President Thathri Development Front, District Doda, Kuldeep Kumar Rao has said that the hollow slogans of the previous NC-Congress Coalition Government and PDP-BJP Coalition Government for so called equitable development of all three regions, was simply a drama and in fact they all are responsible for the injustice with Jammu division.
The Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) welcomed the Govt proposal to setup the delimitation commission in J&K state to undo the decades old discrimination meted out to Jammu region particularly the DPs of 1947 from PoK.
Gurdev Singh, President of JKSAC said that DPs of 1947 from PoK are the worst victims of this political discrimination which spoiled the future of their generations to come.
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