Ansh Chowdhari
Just after the results for the recently concluded J&K elections were announced, a series of social media account started blabbering about the need for a Jammu state. They alleged that the mandate that people delivered was, in effect, a declaration of their demand for a separate Jammu, the one having all the 10 districts being coalesced into one state. This demand, for years, has reverberated, on and off, across the political environment of Jammu, moreso in the Dogri speaking belt of the province and that too marginally. The demand for a separate Jammu, as said, has always remained on the fringes and could never garner much public support.
The idea for getting a separate political unit for better administration isn’t a novelty in the Indian federalism. It has happened in the past as well. But, the case of Jammu is slightly different from all other demands.
Firstly, the Jammu lacks a coherent leadership at its disposal. Essentially, Jammu has always shorn itself off a secular leadership. No leader could ever make his mark on the entire landscape of Jammu province. Unlike states like Telangana and Himachal which came into existence riding on the coattails of a strong leadership, Jammu is essentially leaderless. This vacuum has never been filled and now it’s being manipulated to suit some vested interests. Jammu is not just a district or a town. It’s a big conglomeration of 10 districts which has a remarkable heterogeneity in its fold.
Secondly, the supporters of Jammu statehood imply that J&K is effectively two states working in unison, courtesy two different secretariats and separate directorates for two divisions. But, the votaries of this argument miss the moot point that J&K, by its very nature, is a tough geography. Even today, there are certain areas which remain cut off from the mainstream for significant number of months during the winter season. The terrain is hard and mountainous. Such administrative set up was largely meant to assuage the concerns of the general populace. In other words, we can say that such a system was envisaged by means of administrative need and exigencies than a genuine division between the two provinces.
Thirdly, the diffused demands that are being made by certain individuals have largely grown out of a particular political ideology which makes people sitting on the fences look at it with a sceptical lens. It appears as if a certain section of people is now using this plank to forward their agendas by couching this demand in an emotional pitch, especially after the election results. Even the mandate delivered by the people wasn’t for a separate state. This section believes that Jammu has been denied its fair share in the power structure. Unfortunately, they don’t deem to accept that 3 cabinet ministers in the present government are from Jammu. Even in the past Jammu has had its fair share in the governments of all hues.
Fourthly, the demand for Jammu state, if at all genuine, must be organic-the one that is borne out of the real aspirations of its people, and not one being manufactured in a top-down fashion based on false data, manufactured lies and a politics of oneupmanship with Kashmir. The story of Jammu needs to be told but it must not be based on communal overtures. The story of Jammu is one of plurality, pragmatism and resilience. It’s essential that people here realise that it has always been about Jammu and Kashmir and not Jammu V/s Kashmir as some here would like others to believe, presumably on some botched-up figures and facts. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have always braved the odds stacked against them. The idea of Kashmiriyat, Jammuriyat and Jamhooriyat must be guiding principles for us in this paradigm which can create a stabilising scene for all citizens of this UT.
Fifthly, Jammu is too complex to understand for an outsider. They view this area in relation to Kashmir as something which possesses the Hindu Majority. They miss the moot point that ethnolinguistically, this region is too diverse for anyone to understand in toto. The Dogri speaking population forming a majority in 5 districts is being held into embrace by Western Pahari Districts (WPD) of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and the Eastern Pahari Districts of Rajouri and Poonch. While the WPD is having a multitude of communities in its geography the EPD is majorly having only Gujjars and Paharis living in those lands bound by the mountains of Pir Panchal. This heterogeneity- though often misplaced as a stumbling block in the creation of a Jammu’s identity, has always been appreciated and projected as a symbol of J&K’s syncretic culture.
Now a major question arises, if this demand for a separate state has any takers in the aforementioned regions. These regions have a different demography and they have at times shown their indifference, if not abject apathy, towards mainstream Jammu’s narrative. Hence, right now, I don’t see any such demand emanating from these places. Both the WPD and EPD have always remained at the peripheries in the erstwhile state. It’s important that any development on statehood for Jammu must involve the stakeholders from this region. Unless that is done, this entire narrative looks fictitious at best.
While the statehood for Jammu looks a far-fetched idea, there’s a need to empower these regions. The Gajendragadkar Commission recommended to create three Regional Boards in the state to address the concerns of regional inequalities. I, however believe, that there should be at least two semi-autonomous regional boards in J&K, viz., for WPD and EPD for their inclusive development.
Sixthly, even historically, we can’t look at Jammu and Kashmir in mutually exclusive terms. Since the time of Rajatarangini and before, Kashmir has always had some relationship with Jammu. This ultimately got cemented when the Treaty of Amritsar was signed in 1846 and a grand state of J&K was created. Surprisingly, the same people who take pride in the state created through the might of the Dogras are the ones asking for its dismemberment.
Seventhly, I think the intellectual elite of Jammu has not been kind to facts and they have used it wrongly and sparingly, if at all, to further their agendas. They use decades old data to cultivate a sense of inferiority complex in Jammu. They allege that Kashmir centricity has deprived Jammu of its fair share from the developmental funds. But, isn’t that a reprimanding for the local leaders who have represented Jammu within and outside the power corridors. The large-scale misinformation campaigns that are being run on social media and what’s app universities have further added to those apprehensions. Do they know that more than 50 percent of JKAS officers of J&K come from the minority community of this state? They won’t say this aloud because this doesn’t fit well within their polarised narratives.
The Indian Federal structure is quite flexible. It has accommodated regional differences quite well. However, in the case of Jammu, it’s difficult to prognosticate the future, given the present demand for a separate state is quite limited in its scope and appears manufactured from the top. The need is to seriously engage in a multi-level stakeholder dialogue across various domains in this UT. Practically speaking, the time to re-engineer J&K has passed now. The only option right now is to amicably accept the present system and engage in a meaningful dialogue with Kashmir to reduce insecurities, if any, while ensuring that every region gets a fair share of resources. J&K is a viable, living unit. Lets preserve and cherish it.
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