Vijay Gupta
First a quote from Swami Vivekananda – “Tumar upar naiko ayi bhuvner bhaar” (you are not responsible for the entire world).
An aside. The ruckus created by National Conference MLAs over a perceived discrimination with the people of Valley in allotments of funds for repair of Transformers in Srinagar presents an interesting spectacle and should open the eyes of entire Jammu Province Leadership. This leadership belonging to both the NC and Congress parties has, however, always been seen prostrating before their masters from the Valley for the last many decades quite oblivious of the needs and aspirations of people of Jammu region. Their feelings for Jammu or for that matter their constituents have inevitably to be camouflaged as that of entire state. That is why a Devinder Singh Rana, MLA Nagrota and Provincial Head of the NC, while threatening to demolish the newly constructed Toll Plaza in Nagrota area for Jammu Udhampur Highway had to add a refrain – complete this highway up to Srinagar first. Incidentally, Rana’s protest was staged the same day his Party MLAs walked out of the Assembly over transformers issue – solidarity does matter.
While we all know only one compelling need for this toll plaza – apart from recovery of construction cost of Jammu Udhampur Highway by NHAI, part of Toll Amount Collection would be spent on maintaining this highway properly, Devinder Rana, blessed that he is with a rare gift of gab, would have recounted 101 benefits of this Toll Plaza had, Omar Abdullah been Chief Minister instead of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. Have no doubt about that. Needless to add that the poor state of Jammu Pathankot Highway, where no Toll Plaza exists, cries for one loudly.
A news-item. On March 24 there has been a headline in this news paper which reads – Government fails to implement SC order on Jammu migrants. This NI further informed that in spite of SC order the State government has failed to provide monthly cash assistance to 1054 families of Jammu Province which the state CID had duly verified as genuine sufferers at the hands Militancy ever since 2007 due to financial constrains.
Now observe the contrast. A whiff of discrimination, over the allotments of funds for repair of transformers, makes the entire valley leadership (all MLAs belonging to the National Conference, the Congress Party and even an MLA from the ruling PDP) close ranks and troop out of the Assembly where as the Jammu leadership has been a mute spectator to the gross injustice heaped on 1054 families – victims of militancy for almost eight years. It is not for no reason I have been maintaining that in J & K the ‘K’ is the key word. ‘J’ stands for Junk.
Blame it on a malaise from which the Jammu leadership specifically that of BJP has been suffering for last over six decades. This affliction bars them from thinking ‘local. They think ‘nationally’ only. For more two decades their national fervor got expressed in organizing agitations against the provision of separate flag as well as a separate constitution during which they lost Dr. Shyama Parsad Mukherjee the then President of Bhartiya Jan Sangh. During this period many scores of Bandhs were organized in support of repeal of Article 370 and even agitations for a ban on Cow Slaughter got priority over local issues. During this period, people of Jammu never agitated for opening of professional colleges in Jammu. We never protested against total neglect of tourism potential in Jammu. Even massive bungling in selection of candidates for admission in professional (both Engineering as well as Medical Colleges) was not a matter of concern for this Jammu leadership. One can go on and on but this will do to make home my point. After the onset of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir the raison d’être for the national fervor however changed. Any affront directed against the Union of India from militants and their sympathizers from the Kashmir Valley or for that matter any act of Pakistan sponsored terror anywhere in India not only gets adequate response from this leadership mostly in the form of organizing protests and bandhs and quite rightly too but in their zeal to outdo each other rhetorically also the various constituents of this leadership assume a station from which they issue direction to the foreign office and at times do not even hesitate in advising defense forces in tackling militants and their intrusion from across the border. For these leaders local issues are too mundane to take up.
A couple of days back Devinder Rana gave a call to BJP leaders asking them to shun rhetoric and perform. Many like yours truly would agree with him though for the first time. It is the right time for the BJP Legislature Party, TEAM JAMMU, to pay head to Swami Vivekananda advice as quoted above and simply think ‘local’. People of Jammu have been discriminated against for last six decades. You have too much to catch up.
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