The grouse that Jammu is discriminated against is as old as the popular rule in the State. So many regimes changed hands during six decades plus but the complaint did not vanish. The reason is simple. No government wants to be just and equitable. The universally recognised principle of healthy democracy is that in elections, a candidate anchored in his/her constituency fights along his party manifesto. But once he is declared successful, he becomes the spokesman of the entire nation. He has to rise above physical, geographical and party level politics and think in terms of the entire nation and the state. Unfortunately, this element is abysmally lacking in the political class of our times. It has been observed that the legislators are stuck up with their constituencies even at the cost of other units. Our legislators fail to grow intellectually and circumstantially.
Discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh regions has been the bane of all governments and the main reason is that the Valley sends in maximum number of legislators. And democracy is merely a game of numbers. On that count, Jammu region’s loud cry and protestation go unheard and un-responded. The point is that the three regions that comprise the single political unit called Jammu and Kashmir State, is a conglomerate of different faiths, languages, cultures, geography, topography, ethnicity and life pattern. Not to speak of inter-region diversity, there is serious diversity on intra-regional level as well. To paint all the three regions or the sub-regions with one brush is not only fragile statesmanship but also a dangerous divisive act.
The diversity to which allusion has been made is also reflected in political structuring. Mainstream as well as regional political parties have carved out respective segments and constituencies like their fiefs in eternal bondage. Some times these fief-like constituencies become instruments of dynastic rule leaving no space for healthy democracy to grow and flourish. Sub-regionalism degenerates into mini- parochialism. Why should population be considered the only deciding factor for identification of backward villages in each region; why not the area, geography, topography, accessibility, resources, revenue, tax base, etc. Ironically even in the case of population count, the legislative assembly, on the basis of totally unscientific and illogical majority-minority syndrome, passed the law that puts delimitation exercise into cold store till 2025.
Apart of two mainstream political parties that have formed the coalition government, we have a sizeable opposition in the legislature. In UK, the leader of opposition almost enjoys the same status as the Prime Minister does. The philosophy behind this attitude is that today’s leader of opposition can be and has been the leader of the ruling party tomorrow. But here in our political climate this concept though known to our legislators, is willingly brushed aside in a bid to maintain party hegemony on the basis of majoritarianism.
Choosing 28 villages from Kashmir region and 17 from Jammu region for classification as backward and making their inhabitants eligible for 20 per cent reservation in government jobs and 10 per cent for promotion is absolutely unjustifiable. Moreover, choosing the villages that are the constituencies of either of the coalition partners, as backward and thus entitling them to receive the largesse as float under the scheme is clearly politically motivated act. This policy of pick and chose has been adopted in anticipation of general elections in 2014. It means creating wedge among the people on political affiliation basis. We do not think that this decision of the government can stand the test if the matter is referred to a court of law. Identification of backward villages has been made not on the merits of the case but keeping in mind the political party to which they belong. In other words, the ruling coalition is utilising the funds of the tax payer for strengthening only their respective constituencies knowing that funds come not exclusively from their party voters but from the general masses.
We advise to abandon the antics of playing one group of people against the other. We will strongly entreat the government to discard divisive means, and revoke the blatantly discriminative order and make equitable and justifiable identification of backward villages throughout the state afresh on an even keel.
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