Sir,
Please refer to news item “No Summer Secretariat in Jammu” (DE. May 22). The esteemed Daily Excelsior has yet again exposed the anti-Jammu policies being pursued by the PDP-BJP coalition Government. The report that the State Government has almost decided to discontinue the 9-year-old practice of stationing certain officials in the winter capital, Jammu, to mitigate the hardships of the people and address their issues when the civil secretariat functions in the summer capital, Srinagar, has come as a shocker to the people of Jammu province who are already struggling for the establishment of the proposed AIIMS in Jammu, early completion of the Tawi artificial lake project and obtaining what is their legitimate due share in the governance of the State as part and parcel of the State.
It is shocking that ever since the formation of the PDP-BJP coalition Government, those who are in the driving seat have been pushing the people of Jammu province to the wall ignoring the dangerous ramifications, including the possibility of the radical elements in Jammu demanding reorganisation of the State. These elements have been saying since long that the existing unitary system is Kashmir-centric and that reorganisation of the State on a regional basis alone could end discrimination with the Jammu people.
The PDP-BJP coalition Government has during its small stint in office made many announcements in and outside the Assembly which have strengthened the belief of the people of Jammu province that the present dispensation, like the earlier dispensations, is biased in favour of Kashmir and against Jammu. Their belief is well-founded. The State Government has refused to issue Dogra certificates to the youth desirous of seeking employment in the central paramilitary forces and army, announced that it would not issue Permanent Resident Certificates in schools, declared that the AIIMS will be established in Kashmir and not in Jammu, hinted that the ongoing Tawi artificial lake project could be “shelved” on technical grounds and financial considerations, and virtually rejected the demands of the refugees from West Pakistan.
What has been disturbing most is the negative attitude of the BJP towards the people of Jammu province with whose vote and support it has been enjoying political power in the State. The manner in which BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh defended the decision to discontinue the practice of stationing certain official in Jammu during the summer months was not in a good taste. Earlier also, the Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh had disappointed the people of Jammu province by saying that no one could “snatch AIIMS from Kashmir and it will not be established in Jammu” and that “they (India) use our land and water”.
One hopes that PDP-BJP coalition Government desists from provoking the people of Jammu province through its statements and actions. It is also hoped that the BJP would read the writing on the wall in Jammu and refashion its policy towards it.
Yours etc…
Akhil Mahajan
Jammu
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