K B Jandial
“The people of Jammu are not stronger than the people of Kashmir”. This is reportedly said by a senior BJP Minister in the Mufti Govt. while discussing with media persons the possible result of the ongoing movement for full fledged Jammu AIIMS. Was it a poser or BJP’s final word on the people of two regions which unfortunately always look in opposite directions on almost every issue?
Comparison of people in any manner is uncalled for as it is demeaning to rate people of any region as weak, timid or casual while make other an embodiment of strength. Now, when a Minister has reportedly made this unfortunate observation, it would not be imprudent to say the least that the people of Jammu are not weak at all whether ones a comparison with their Kashmiri brethrens or not. The BJP leaders appear to have forgotten after coming to power that the history is replete with long and successful Jammu agitations on different issues which demonstrate their inherent strength.

straight talk

Be it Poonch agitation, manipulated selection of candidates in technical & professional institutions by the Govt., durbar move, Shree Amarnath land row or agitation on Central University, the people of Jammu have always displayed maturity, unity and  strength, government efforts to sabotage these notwithstanding. These agitations lasted for 35 to 60 days at a huge and irretrievable loss to the business fraternity but the consolation was that the Govt. of the day was made to bend before Jammu’s popular sentiments. This always helped even handful of Jammu’s senior officers in the administration to “hold their head high” in the victory of their people, adverse public perception about them notwithstanding.
All BJP leaders appear to have forgotten the glorious past. The simmering volcano of discrimination in Jammu erupted for the first time in the shape agitation in 1967 against move to shift Agricultural and Ayurvedic colleges to Srinagar. Like AIIMS row, initially these colleges were to be established at Jammu.
Another major agitation started in 1978 against irregularities in the appointment of teachers in Poonch which soon assumed the regional dimension fueling the prevailing discontent in the region. Sensing the intensity of popular reaction the Central Govt. had decided to look into the grievances of Jammu region, and appointed Sikri Commission. It made a thorough study of the prevailing situation in the state, observed that “there exists discrimination and favouritism in the field of development, employment and education in the context of different regions, which was giving rise to irritations and tensions among the people of state”.
In 1988, another mass agitation kicked off on the clandestine move of the Government to “station” major departments at Srinagar and bring the truncated century- old durbar move to Jammu. The Bar Association of Jammu led the 37 days long agitation forcing the then Union Home Minister Buta Singh to fly into Jammu and direct Farooq Abdullah to rescind the order.
In February, 1998 Jammu was again outraged by the manipulation of selection in favour of Kashmir students in the MBBS/BDS list. The resentment among the people engulfed the entire Jammu region. The Govt. had to take corrective steps to assuage the feelings.
This was followed by extremely violent agitation on Amarnath row in July 2008 in both regions that took a heavy toll of human lives. Both the regions had pulled apart dangerously on this religious issue. After 61-day agitation in Jammu, agreement was reached.
Yet another agitation was successfully conducted on separate Central University for Jammu and for its local VC which State and Central Govts. had to concede.
Setting up of Govt. Medical College and Institute of Engineering and Technology in Jammu were also result of successful agitations. Whatever Jammu got in the past six decades is mostly the strength of its people.
A study conducted by two research scholars of the Department of Political Science of  Jammu University on Jammu’s neglect, Mamta Sharma and Natasha Manhas, arrived at the following conclusions, “Undoubtedly, Kashmir strengthens India’s secular character as well as acts as hedge to Pakistani’s “two nations theory”, thus it surfaces heavily in New Delhi’s decision making. These political and strategic calculations favour the majoritarian Kashmiri community and diametrically act against Jammu and Ladakh’s genuine demands. In the name of national interest, New Delhi pushed three regions into a prolonged protracted zero sum game in which Kashmir enjoys superiority within the state and outside support from New Delhi. Now, the uphill task before the decision makers is that whether Jammu and Kashmir three regions will be able to recover from six decades old preservative political system in which Kashmir centric leadership had triumphed”.
On the other hand, Kashmir’s major ‘struggle’ has been to secede from India which is mostly engineered by Pakistan right from the days of independence. It took a dangerous turn in early nineties with launch of cross border terrorism that continues even today, though on a low key.  None of the Kashmir agitations had ever succeeded even though the Central Govt. continues to formulate J&K policies, even today with BJP in the Govts., both at the Centre and the State, which are primarily Kashmir centric, ignoring the interests and sentiments of other two regions- Jammu & Ladakh. There are undercurrents for UT status for Ladakh.
The people of Jammu had fought with almost all the political dispensations in the State and the Centre and always brought these Govts. on their knees. This time also on the issue AIIMS, the Govt. would have to submit to the Jammu sentiments which are getting stronger and stronger with passage of each day. Nobody can barter away Jammu’s interest as the people are now more conscious of their honour and dignity than when they were driven by BJP.
Is it because of their perceived notion of “weakness” of the people of Jammu that they are playing with their sentiments on AIIMS issue? Union Health Minister J P Nadda’s tweet and PIB press note speak about one AIIMS for J&K with similar facilities in both the regions to “meet the regional aspirations”. But the State Health Minister Ch. Lal Singh while elaborating the “similar facilities” claimed that “similar facilities” mean equal grants, equal size of land and equal number of medical faculties with different Director for both Institutes.
Will these be affiliated to same University or different universities? Or will there be one or two deemed universities? Will there be one society (or two) under the AIIMS Act with same or separate governing body? What will be the relationship of AIIMS in Jammu with AIIMS Kashmir? A question arises; if there are separate Directors then why not formally announce two separate AIIMS? Where is the hitch? None, that one can think of.  Nobody has cared to explain it and the agitation continued.
On a lighter note, a joke on “chotta” AIIMS for Jammu went viral on social media- “to avoid confrontation Govt. declares AIIMS in J&K to function like Civil Secretariat, six months in Kashmir & six months in Jammu. Patients will be shifted like durbar move.”
Interestingly, even the name suggested – “AIIMS of J&K, Jammu” is beyond understanding.  In all other five AIIMS each is named as AIIMS followed by the name of the host city, like AIIMS, Patna or AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. But in J&K it would be “All India Institute of Medical Sciences of J&K, Jammu or Anantnag” as the case may be. Is it a political compulsion? Is it to demonstrate State’s autonomy  under article 370 to which BJP had always remained opposed, that  word “India” (of AIIMS) is not acceptable without a  suffix “J&K”? Jammu has no problem with word “India”, in fact the people of Jammu are proud of being Indian. Why force J&K on India?
What the Minister has reportedly said about Jammuites, in fact, somewhat applies to political leadership. It is the household impression that Jammu leadership without distinction has always been weak and subservient to the strong Kashmiri leadership. It is in Jammu that one group or the other comes out to sabotage movements, whether they succeed or not. Discrimination is because the leadership has failed the people for limited political gain. There is complete unity among Kashmiri leadership on certain bench marks. No party attempts to force shopkeepers to open their shutters whenever there are shutdowns, even on the call of Yasin Malik. There is a rat race to demonstrate which leader can lash out Delhi and still get maximum from it. Even some leaders when in power spoke that accession is “conditional” despite the fact they take oath of J&K constitution which not only ratifies the accession but records in unambiguous words that J&K is and shall remain integral part of India.
With the glorious history of Jammu’s united fight against injustice there is no reason for anyone to doubt people’s strength as they always fought for just cause. AIIMS will also be achieved not because of BJP leadership but once again on the strength of Jammu people. No political party can claim its credit which shall go to the people alone.
(feedback:kbjandial@gmail.com)

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