Er P L Khushu
Delimitation Commission has done a great job in its endeavor to try to deliver justice to people of Jammu and Kashmir by trying to balance the regional imbalances, in respect of assembly and the parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, with its new proposed draft recommendations, which have been made public very recently. Jammu region and its people have been the worst sufferers so for on this account, when their count for getting a fair justice of equity in a harmonious distribution of the assembly and the parliamentary seats, is carrying a big willful gap for Jammu. Apart from other damages done to the people of Jammu region due to this discrepancy, the Jammu region has suffered colossally for a better and a fair balanced development in all the fields of growth, for last more than 50 years or to say ever since 1947. Such a situation was allowed to happen, when the democratic Government under the banner and the leadership of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah came into existence in Jammu and Kashmir. This so-called democratic rule which got imposed after exit of Great Maharaja Hari Singh became a perennial imperil for Jammu with a visible step motherly treatment being given to Jammu region, which carried the blessings of the Nehru clan from Delhi. The Delimitation Commission has proposed to redraw the boundaries of legislative assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Of course, a full scale harmony is very difficult to achieve by any forum or commission, in such tough tasks, when political, regional and sectoral balances are of varied dimensions, as for as Jammu & Kashmir is concerned. Some of the major proposals in this regard envisage major changes in present set ups of the parliamentary and assembly constituencies. In case of assembly constituencies, the draft proposal envisages massive changes in existing assembly segments, adding new constituencies and proposing liquidating of some constituencies. The Commission has proposed seven reserved seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs), all in Jammu region and 9 seats for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Union Territory. In the draft, existing Sangrama assembly segment has been merged with Tangmarg zone. Kupwara district will get a new constituency of Trehgam, while Kralpora tehsil has been added to Karnah constituency. Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency limits will be spread to five districts and will have two assembly segments from Ganderbal district, eight from Srinagar district, three from Budgam district, four from Pulwama district and one from Shopian district. Its assembly segments will comprise Kangan, Ganderbal, Hazratbal, Khanyar, South Srinagar, Sonawar, Chanapora, Zoonimar, Eidgah, Central Shalteng, Khan Sahib, Charar-e-Sharief, Chadoora, Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora and Shopian.
As per proposals, reconfigured Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency will have its limits extending to four districts. Its assembly segments will include Karnah, Kupwara, Trehgam, Lolab, Handwara, Langate, Sopore, Rohama-Rafiabad, Uri, Baramulla, Tangmarg, Kunzer, Pattan, Sonawari, Bandipore, Gurez, Budgam and Beerwah. Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, with its limits spreading to five districts, will have Mughal Maidan, Kishtwar Paddar, Bhaderwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban, Banihal, Udhampur West, Udhampur East, Chenani, Ramnagar, Bani, Billawar, Basohli, Kathua North, Kathua South and Hiranagar assembly segments.
Jammu Lok Sabha constituency, which earlier had Jammu, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts, will now have three assembly segments of Reasi, besides 11 segments of Jammu district, three segments of Samba district and one segment of Rajouri. Reasi will be an addition, to be taken out from Udhampur LS constituency. Jammu LS constituency will have assembly segments of Mahore, Reasi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Ramgarh, Samba, Vijaypur, Bishnah, R S Pura, Jammu South, Bahu, Jammu East, Bhalwal-Nagrota, Jammu West, Jammu North, Marh, Akhnoor, Khour and Kalakote-Sunderbani. In this case, Kalakote-Sunderbani has been excluded from Rajouri, Jammu district will get rechristened assembly segments in the form of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Bahu assembly segments. The earlier Anantnag Constituency is proposed to now include some segments of Rajouri-Poonch- belts in this Parliamentary constituency. It dominantly implies that as per the draft proposal recommendations of the Delimitation Commission, it has been recommended that the boundaries of several assembly and parliamentary constituencies will be redrawn, besides proposing the creation of seven new assembly constituencies in Jammu & Kashmir. Of course, such a difficult task in harmonizing the delimitation exercises are always very difficult to achieve by any forum or commission, yet without any prejudice to these new proposals of the Delimitation Commission and its respected members, it looks like leaving again a pin pricks in the minds of the people of Jammu or the whole region of Jammu to be again getting annexed to Kashmir region, through the rough and tough corridor of Rajouri and Poonch. While the idea behind such a proximal proposal of redrawing of the boundaries for this constituency may not be so, yet, it sounds like a signal to convey to Jammu and its people that asking for a separate state for Jammu is a bye gone question under the circumstances, when Jammu now under all the situations needs to be a separate state within the union of India. Jammu has already suffered immense discrimination through the dynastic ruling governance from time to time, which was always Kashmir based and Kashmir centric. As long as the concept of united Jammu and Kashmir is concerned such a proposal may sound secular and harmonious in the national context, but does the geographical boundaries across the mountainous ranges of Rajuri-Poonch of Jammu region correspond or match with Anantnag areas of Kashmir region by any smooth transitional mode. Does it suit the political and the geographical aspirations of the people of both the Jammu and Kashmir division, particularly for the people of Rajouri-Poonch and Anantnag and its surroundings? Of course not. It can and shall add a qualitative and a quantitative argumentative reason to call it as a biased discriminative approach towards the people of valley and that of Jammu, when some political leaders from Kashmir are already having a negative stance about the Delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir. Then a question arises as to why to hurt the feelings of these segments. If reactions from people of such segment emerge, it cannot be called as a genuine reaction. The hard core criticism of political leaders from Kashmir about conducting of delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir, which has a base for their hidden aims of continuing their dynastic rules, such proposals of making parliamentary constituencies disproportionate to the circumstances, will add more ammunition to their barren reasons of opposing the whole exercise of delimitation in its totality. Such leaders may go to any extent to exploit it to their hidden and parochial agendas of trying to negate and annul this whole exercise of delimitation as a political based exercise. This draft report of the Delimitation Commission as shared by the commission with its associate members has already created unrest with the political parties from Kashmir and some major Jammu based political parties of course without BJP, and the society at large from Jammu as long as the redrawing of boundaries of Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency is concerned. One of the most serious concerns in this regard is the attempt of the Delimitation Commission to consider the Union Territory as a single unit for the purpose of redrawing Lok Sabha constituencies which is a clear attempt to erase regional character of Jammu and convey to its people to continue to subjugate themselves to the overall superintendence of the political plethora of Kashmir. This has already created an outcry in the Jammu region. A sample to this effect is adding assembly constituencies from two border districts of Jammu region- Poonch and Rajouri- to Anantnag Lok Sabha seat of Kashmir Valley. The move is unacceptable from all respects viz geographical, political and regional and probably does not serve the main purpose of the Delimitation process that is to liberate Jammu division from the clutches of the political policy planners from Kashmir, which has always been the classic trend in this regard. Both the regions of the UT are getting hit by such a proposal, in its recommendations vis-a-vis redrawing of boundaries yet Jammu appears to be a fulcrum of its major changes. The proposals show uncanny ‘union of geographical boundaries of two regions’. This will lead to a bigger unrest among the people of Jammu, who are otherwise aspiring to get a full-scale statehood for Jammu, which is appearing now a distant dream. Is it a political signal to the people of Jammu that forget about such a demand, for the political vote bank policies of the ruling clan? BJP in Jammu must think seriously about it before they are shown the mirror of rejection through the mandate of the people of Jammu, which BJP has probably taken for granted. It may not prove to be a misnomer for them. There is still time left for BJP to come to the rescue of the people of Jammu in this regard. Similarly, Habba Kadal assembly, a seat that was seen as a traditional bastion of migrant Kashmiri Pandits, has vanished in reconfiguration. Voters from Habba Kadal will now be part of at least three assembly seats in the proposed draft. Similarly, Budgam district, which had five assembly seats, having Kashmiri Pandit voters in bulk, has been redrawn and merged with Baramulla Parliamentary constituency besides splitting some of the areas and carving out new assembly seats. Where are migrant Kashmiri Pandit voters placed now? Is it an attempt to add salt to their wounds of forced exodus, to get fully and completely vanished from the scenes of Kashmir and its surroundings? This is the last nail in the coffin of their plight of extreme devastation and destruction through the hands of the existing rulers who claim to be the fanatic breast beaters for the cause of the miseries of Kashmir Pundits across the country. BJP’s crocodile tears for the plight of Kashmiri Pundits are apparently visible, which they are shedding just for exploiting their plight for its vote bank politics across the country. Since Kashmiri pundits are scattered across the country as refugees in their own country, It should have been the principle responsibility of BJP to ask for at least two separate and consolidated constituencies for the Kashmiri Pundits, so that they could vote evenly and smoothly as also get a proper representation in the state assembly. If at all BJP is enjoying a majority parlance in the political scenario of Jammu, it is the majority population of Jammu, which got them such a status within the society.
Under the present political scenario in Jammu, which is garnering support for its separate statehood, it appears that the die has been cast ultimately. Giving a full-fledged state hood to Jammu is the ultimate solution, which will make Jammu prosperous, with a cognizable recognition of the people of Jammu. Same is true about the Kashmiri Pundits, when nothing short of a separate Home Land within corridors of Kashmir valley shall have to be created by the central government through an act of parliament to make their return back to their original homes and hearths in the valley with dignity and honor. Probably this may not remain as a dream for the Kashmiri pundits, as they have no vote bank tag annexed to them. BJP is hardly bothered about it. Kashmiri Pundits shall have to seek the support of other regional political parties of Jammu, other than BJP, Congress, NC and PDP, which are working sternly for getting a due recognition to Jammu as a separate state.
(The author is a Chartered Consultant Civil Engineer, passionately attached and devoted to his motherland – Jammu & Kashmir).