The spotlight has shifted, ever so slightly, to Jammu, arguably not Kashmir’s political hotspot. But the 60-year-old former minister and J&K National Panthers Party chairman Harsh Dev Singh is shaking things up for the BJP in a region considered its bastion.
Singh and his colleagues have ruffled feathers by criticising the policies of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir ever since the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A on August 5 last year. Singh was among a dozen top leaders of Jammu region who were put under house arrest after the BJP government removed Article 370. When the restrictions were lifted in October 2019, he started to speak out but with caution. The former minister started distributing pamphlets appealing people to observe bandh to protest against suspension of mobile internet and establishment of the toll plaza on the Jammu-Kathua national highway at Sarore.
However, this year, the former legislator has started speaking about political issues more forcibly. In May this year, he torched an effigy of the BJP-led central government to protest the new domicile rules and demanded a relook into the provisions allowing outsiders to become domicile of Jammu and Kashmir. He termed the domicile notification an “obnoxious piece of superimposed legislation enacted by the executive authority by defying popular sentiment in the erstwhile state”.
Singh argues that lakhs of labourers, construction workers and traders from different states have been residing in J&K for years on and the new rules would automatically make them eligible for domicile certificates and government jobs. “This proposition is in complete antithesis of what was assured to the J&K youth prior to August 5 by the BJP. The BJP is robbing the youth of Jammu from jobs,” Singh says.
As the government last week came up with new business rules for Jammu and Kashmir, Singh called them “repulsively bizarre”. He says the notification seemed to be a move on the part of the BJP-led government to “undermine the authority” of the J&K legislature. Under the new rules, the majority of the powers of the council of ministers have been transferred to the Lt Governor and the Lt Governor has been put above the chief minister. “Under the new rules, the chief minister of J&K would not have the powers to transfer even a constable of the police force. Not only that, the Lt Governor can veto any decision of legislature even if passed unanimously in the assembly,” Singh says.
He says for the past two years, Jammu and Kashmir has not seen any development and the BJP is running its show on rhetoric. “They couldn’t continue work even on the Mubarak Mandi development project, which is a heritage project and pride of Jammu.”
Singh, however, is not a votary of restoration of Article 370 but seeks strong safeguards for Jammu and Kashmir, like in the Northeast, and restoration of statehood. “Look at the past 70-year history of the country. Union Territories have been upgraded and made states. It is only in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been downgraded into a Union Territory. Tell me who would be happy about it and even people in Jammu BJP call me and appreciate me for raising such issues,” Singh says.
He also claims to be getting threatening phone calls. “I provided details of threats to the police but no action was taken. This doesn’t mean I will give up and cave in like most of the leaders of Jammu under pressure. We will oppose (BJP) them, expose them and finally depose them,” he adds.
By Naseer Ganai in Srinagar
