Professor Dr K L Bhatia
There is no dearth of leaders whose leadership actions, not because of birth having silver spoon in their mouth, but arose from scratch to the echelons of office, and became inspirational spirit for those who put their soul into work to ignite young minds. For such leaders each such opportunity opens the gates for the next one. Such leaders believe only in hard work with a staunch belief that hard work never brings fatigue rather it brings satisfaction. Past examples of such leaders are Abraham Lincoln, Lal Bahadur Sastri, and the living example is our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi whose actions only vouch for him: “Mind is never a problem. Mindset is. Each one of us has a natural instinct to rise, like a flame of the lamp. Let’s nurture this instinct. By getting an opportunity to serve society, we get a chance to repay our debt”.
Without prejudice, is Jammu Unit of Jammu Kashmir Union Territory weak because of splendid leadership predicament? Is there really a leadership vacuum and vacuity in Jammu Province? It is not panting over the posed questions, but it is to ponder over the questions to look forward for a strong Jammu within the framework of the present dispensation so that one may feel the nerve of progressive development of Jammu from status to contract. On being a leader, says Sadguruji: “Integrity, insight, and inclusiveness are the three essential qualities of leadership. Leadership is not assertion of yourself. Leadership does not mean dominance. Leadership is the art of fulfilling the aspirations of everyone (to whom they represent).”
Jammu Province looks forward for leaders like Pandit Prem Nath Dogra, Shri Rishi Kumar Koushal, Shri Girdhari Lal Dogra, Pandit Tralochan Dutt, Thakur Baldev Singh who could think of Jammu, live for Jammu, and consider about Jammu. They only survived in the thick process, in letters and deeds, of think of, for and about Jammu.
What does Jammu Unit of Jammu Kashmir Union Territory look for? Jammu needs a splendid leader of scholarship, objective in method, sound in judgment, inescapable in its conclusions whose letters, inscription, words, dedication, commitment and deeds should be monumental and widely acclaimed. The leader should be proficient to neatly foresee the distinction between regressive corruption and progressive corruption within the dispensation. He must be a person of gifted skill to anticipate that which action will amount to governance deficit and which will be a march to good governance commendation.
Does Jammu Province have a leader of splendid leadership qualities? The answer is more difficult than the question. The reasons are not far to seek. The inherent problem revolves around: The people our netas do not see, and equally neta our people do not see. Jammu looks for a leader of integrity who has dedicated splendid faith in service before self. Leadership qualities evolve from small to larger to largest, that is, from small municipal constituency to UT Legislature to Parliament. We have reminiscences of late Shri Chanderashekhar Ji, known for honesty belag bedag, who happened to tell the people of his constituency: ‘ask me not for the cleaning of drains but ask me how I develop Balia.’ Take example of Mayor of Poona, now Pune. Pune is an example of cleanliness Swach and timely plying of PMT buses. The enduring example is about the Cleanliness of sea beach of Madras by the team work of Mayor of Madras enables the morning walkers to breathe clean and fresh air. Selfless services in Delhi by the then Mayor Shri Kedar Nath Sahni who rose from scratch to the echelons of office of Governor of Goa unfold the qualities of leadership. Maintenance and progressive development of Calcutta (Kolkata) during the tenure of late Shri Subhash Chandra Bose (1930-1931), a grand warrior against British Raj for India’s independence, speak volumes about leadership persona, explicitly as well as eloquently mentioned in ‘ Brothers Who Fought Against the Raj Sarat Chandra Bose and Subhash Chandra Bose’. Mayoral dispensations in Paris and Mini-Paris (Strasbourg), Heidelberg (Germany), etc. speak volumes inasmuch as that a saying goes around that one could see one’s face in the streets of Paris. Mayoral actions vouch for the chances of future Chancellor or President. Could it ever happen in Jammu to make its Surya Putri Tawi, Ranbir canal, Devka and other rivulets around Jammu Province neat and clean making it as a model region of the Union Territory within the map of India? It should not remain a mere dream apt town planning but the leadership dispensation endeavor to make it realty, which, if determined, can vouch to claim ‘I alone can do it’.
Here in Jammu Province, the problem is regarding the unplanned and unscientific disposal of waste, which causes severe damage to environment including water pollution. The problem is ‘garbage in drains and garbage out of drains’, which has been witnessed unattended to and eventually becoming feeding centers for flies and mosquitoes to developing diseases. Strong likings and disliking is a human weakness, but should it happen in sanitization in different areas that tend to speak about slackness in leadership dispensation. We have learnt, to attend to the works of opponents first than the favorites leave deep sociological and psychological impetus in the society.
Frequent electricity cut of/failure seems to be the rarest of the rare example of grave mismanagement. Irregular water supply is another illustration of wonderland of leadership officialdom. The zealous approach to cure, improve and alleviate pit falls and the road bumps shows spirit of barren leadership or no spirit of to be humane.
There are host of grave issues which the worthy leadership ought to have taken up to logical conclusion instead of keeping close to their chest and as such has shown scant or discreet concern allowing the issues to perpetuate at the cost of national interest, such as sale of landed property in Jammu Unit of Jammu Kashmir Union Territory and not in Kashmir Unit of the UT to Indian citizenry from any part of the country; issue of Rohngyias illegally settled only in the Jammu Unit of the UT, etc. Why? The multiple problems have been compounded and permeated to linger on because leadership confounded with confusion within the gravity of ‘to be or not to be’. And the people engulf: ‘If you serve an ungrateful master serve him the more. Put God in your debt. Every stroke shall be repaid. The longer the payment is withholden, the better for you; for compound interest upon compound interest is the rate and usage of this Exchequer”. (Emerson: Compensation).
August 5 and 6, 2019 will be remembered historic days in the independence history of India and will be written in golden words in the modern history of India since the developments erased the black chapters of 19th October 1949 when Article 370 (306A) was got inserted in the Constitution of India under process and corrected the wrongs of 15th May 1954 when Article 35A was added ostensibly as a rarest example of invisible hands of invisible State in the Constitution by an Executive Order by overreaching the Constituent powers of the Parliament of India.
The events corrected the wrongs of seventy years of past tense by abrogating Articles 370, CO 1954 and subsequent COs evaporating the soup and sauce of Article 35A by the similar process as it was introduced and as such streamlined the process of One Nation One Constitution One National Flag One Nationality One Citizenship One Domicile in the nationalistic fervor thus strengthening the indestructible union of Indian federalism — a unique concept in the family of constitutionalism — New constitutionalism of future definite in Jammu Kashmir: A mosaic to achieving the ends of unity and integrity of the Indian Nation.
The Constitution (Application to the State of Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 2019, CO 272, and The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 are progressive constitutional movements to making India “a vibrant India”, because new constitutionalism is a definite step towards effective constitutional governance , which erase the misconceptions of ‘alliance between democracies and dynasties’ and present a ‘real Union of the Indian people based on the basic concept of the sovereignty of the Constitution of India’.
The secessionist, separatist and anti-Indian voices are being raised from Kashmir unit of Jammu Kashmir Union Territory for the revival of abrogated Articles 370, 35A, Statehood, etc. Those who raise such voice seem to be groping in the dark, because they are clueless. Should such be the tone of some political leaders in Jammu region too? Will such voice be conceded under the influence of Kashmir centric politics? Will it not be political misadventure in Jammu region of Jammu Kashmir Union Territory, which may be political calamity, suicidal and catastrophe of directionless or drifting leadership? Will it not be the continuum of leadership predicament that may eventually be a stumbling block in quest of sustained leadership? The answer to these questions can only be given by that splendid blissful leader who pines and nurtures for vibrant flourishing Jammu Province of Jammu Kashmir Union Territory.
(The author is Former Dean Faculty of Law and founder Director The Law School, University of Jammu; Professor Eminence Law National Law University, Jodhpur)
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