Calls for domiciliary laws like HP
NEW DELHI, Jan 4:
Senior Congress leader and veteran politician Karan Singh has demanded the immediate restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and said that the current status of the region is an “unacceptable” diminution of the “crown of India”.
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In a recent interview to PTI Videos, Singh, a three-time Rajya Sabha MP and Sadr-i-Riyasat (Constitutional head) of the erstwhile State, also voiced his concerns over the changes following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.
He noted that before this constitutional change, the entire debate used to revolve around how much autonomy was to be accorded to the State.
“The whole game has changed after the abrogation of (Article) 370,” Singh said.
He said Jammu and Kashmir’s transition to a union territory is a diminution of the erstwhile State and it is “unacceptable”.
Singh noted that a former Indian ambassador to the US said that the current status of Jammu and Kashmir has put it behind States like Himachal Pradesh and Haryana in terms of governance efficiency.
“(Hum) Toh Mukut Hai Hindustan Ke (We are the crown of India),” he said.
Asked about Statehood restoration, the former Union Minister said, “Definitely. Full Statehood.”
He also advocated for domiciliary laws similar to those in Himachal Pradesh, which restrict land ownership to locals.
“These are the domiciliary laws that we want,” he said.
However, Singh feels not everything about the abrogation of Article 370 is negative.
He said the abrogation scrapped a law that took away the property rights of women from the State who married outsiders and also enabled many people who migrated from Pakistan to exercise their franchise.
“So I took a very nuanced view. Some things are positive in it,” he said.
Decades ago, Singh had proposed trifurcation of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. He proposed that Jammu should be merged with Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh should be made a Union Territory and Kashmir should remain a State.
“Everyone jumped at me and the proposal was rejected. Today things are different. Jammu has its own personality now,” he said.
Asked if he had any such radical proposal now, he said, “I think that now the only radical suggestion is the rein Statement of Statehood plus domiciliary laws to safeguard the people of the State and a genuine attempt to strike a fair balance between Jammu and Kashmir regions.”
The only way to do this is to have a peaceful relationship between the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir Government, he underlined.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked Article 370 of the Constitution, stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and dividing it into two Union Territories – J&K and Ladakh. While the former has a Legislative Assembly with limited authority, Ladakh operates without one.
In December 2023, the apex court upheld the Centre’s decision but reiterated the need for the swift restoration of Statehood.
During the interview, Singh also reflected on his relationship with the Abdullah family, particularly with Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, the first chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
He described Sheikh Abdullah as a “remarkable” Kashmiri leader who significantly influenced the region’s political landscape, but acknowledged the complexities of their interactions given the historical tension between the monarchy and the emerging democratic forces.
Recalling the time when Jammu and Kashmir’s first Assembly was constituted, Singh said his father Maharaja Hari Singh and many of his loyalists thought that he should not take up the role of ‘Sadr-i-Riyasat’ because Sheikh Abdullah had insulted the Dogras and the Maharaja.
“So that was where the tension in a way began. I suppose it was an inevitable fallout of politics. You see, I realised that the monarchy had lost its importance. That the future lay in democracy. I wanted to be part of that democracy,” he said.
Singh credited National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah for bringing him back into politics after a 12-year hiatus.
“After the four elections that I won from Udhampur, I changed my constituency, went to Jammu and lost. After that I really gave up politics. I was out of politics for 12 years… he got me back into politics,” he said.
He also recalled the NC’s support in his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Singh described Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the third generation of the Abdullah family to occupy the office, as a “balanced individual” with the potential for a successful political future.
“I think he’ll go far. I hope he will because, you know, he has got a second chance now,” the former Minister said.
Meanwhile, Karan Singh said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is “learning on the job” and improving. He also showers praise on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, calling her a “bright girl”.
Quizzed about Rahul Gandhi, who faces tough questions after the Congress’ debacle in the Assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, Singh said, “Rahul is a very nice young man. I am very fond of him.”
The former ambassador to the US said Rahul Gandhi used to be in close touch with him but “recently he has not been in such close touch”.
“But he is improving, I think,” he said.
“Every year, he is improving. I think he is learning on the job,” Singh said and added that whether he would become the prime minister or not was a matter of speculation.
“But he has got good potential and has time to prepare himself,” the former Union minister added.
Singh, who has known Priyanka Gandhi Vadra since her childhood, also did not hold back in praising her. “She is a bright girl. She sparkles. She is very bright.”
The former Union Minister, who was inducted into Indira Gandhi’s Cabinet at the age of 36, also termed first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru as his “mentor”.
“…I was with her (Indira Gandhi) for 10 years in the Cabinet. I saw her finest moment, Bangladesh (liberation), and her darkest moment, the Emergency. ‘Sab dekha hai (have seen it all)’,” he said.
Singh also said Rajiv Gandhi’s 1991 assassination was a terrible tragedy, believing that he “would have taken India into the 21st century” at that point of time.
An avid music lover, Singh still sings and does ‘riyaz (systematic practice)’ once a week.
He disclosed that his candidature for the post of president was considered in 2006 but it was struck down by the Left parties.
According to Singh, Sonia Gandhi had proposed his name during a meeting in 2006 but the Left parties said, “How can we have a ‘maharaja’ as a president?”
Pratibha Patil became President in 2007.
However, Singh, who has served in the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and UNESCO, said he had no regrets at not having been made president. (PTI)
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