Excelsior Correspondent
-Excelsior/Rakesh
JAMMU, Dec 15: A seminar on “Political empowerment of Jammu” was organized by Peoples’ Revolutionary Movement (PRM) at the Jammu Club, here today. Rajinder Jamwal, president of PRM, in his inaugural address, released a document titled “Political Empowerment of Jammu”. The seminar was presided over by retired Justice K K Gupta.
Addressing the seminar Dr Jitendra Singh said, any struggle for justice and empowerment calls for three basic prerequisites…clarity of thought, conviction and courage of conviction. “Unless all of us, rising above party lines, draw a “bottom line” of our common objectives without mutually negating each other for petty interests, we shall not reach anywhere, he cautioned’’, he added. Dr Jitendra Singh said, economic power flows from political empowerment and added that abuse of Article 370 and misuse of PRC had empowered a handful of families in Kashmir while denying the common man his bare minimum right of dignified existence. Policy of appeasement at the cost of Jammu and Ladakh had been promoted by a small coterie of polity to ensure its continuance in the seat of power, he alleged.
While favouring the demand of Union territory status for Ladakh, Dr Jitendra Singh said,”we are open to discuss all options for regional empowerment of Jammu including Regional Council”. The quantum of administrative, economic and legislative powers of the Regional Council can be worked out by consensus, he suggested. In the interest of fare distribution of resources and opportunities to all sections of society, he also called for application of National Minority Act in J&K based on identification of actual minorities in the State.
Participating in the Seminar Rajinder Jamwal said Jammu has always been discriminated by the Kashmiri rulers which can’t be tolerated any more now. While stressing on political empowerment for Jammu he said the region has no cultural and geographical link with Kashmir and hence it deserves a separate Statehood to end the discriminatory role of Kashmiri centric politicians towards the region and sighted various examples in this regard in which Jammu is facing a step motherly treatment from Kashmiri leadership.
NPP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia said that it was his Party which has given a solution in 2011 convention by giving a call for reorganization of the State. He said there are 42 MLAs from Kashmir while 37 are from Jammu region and among them only 15 to 20 have a consensus on political empowerment of Jammu.
He said the first thing required for political empowerment was the enrichment of Dogri language and he urged all to feel proud in speaking in Dogri and keep this rich language alive, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Jyoti Sharma, Advocate, highlighted the empowerment of women in particular and the people of Jammu in general. She said that the empowerment begins from self and to be downloaded to the next generation. The empowerment of the people will happen when it begins from the grass-root level, she added.
D K Khajuria, senior advocate and former President, BAJ, highlighted the history of Jammu since 1846 and talked about the accession of J&K to the Union of India. He appreciated the organizers for organizing such seminar titled “Political Empowerment of Jammu” which is the need of the hour. He stressed formation of three sub-states within J&K with separate legislature and the governing council to take care of the aspirations of the people within the sub-regions.
B L Saraf, retd. Judge, highlighted the sacrifices of the people of the State. He also talked about the empowerment of the region with individual contribution to the economic upliftment of the masses of Jammu. The issues regarding migrants of all categories are required to be addressed.
Justice K K Gupta (Retd.), in his presidential address, appreciated the mission of the PRM, and stressed that such seminars should continue in future. He flashbacked to the history and quoted some memories when he visited Tokyo where he was told by a Japanese soldier that they had defeated all armies except the Dogra Army.
People from different cross-section of the society interacted with the speakers and questioned the fulfillment of regional aspiration.
Follow our WhatsApp channel