Srinagar: Governor N N Vohra on Monday eschewed any reference to Article 35A of the India constitution in his I-Day speech, notwithstanding unease among people and politicians in Jammu and Kashmir.
Article 35A accords special rights and privileges to the citizens of the Jammu and Kashmir. It also empowers the State’s legislature to frame any law without attracting a challenge on grounds of violating the Right to Equality of people from other states or any other right under the Indian Constitution.
A Delhi-based NGO ‘We The Citizens’ has challenged the wires of Article 35A of the Constitution and the Supreme Court has referred the matter to larger bench of three judges after government of India openly sought a debate without filing any counter affidavit before the apex court on the matter.
Instead, the governor, which acts on the advice of the council of ministers of the ruling government, expressed concern over ‘retarded’ economic growth of the state compared to national growth.
“In the past seventy years India has achieved notable development on many fronts and, today, we are the fastest growing among the large economies in the world. However, for the past many years now, J&K’s growth and progress has been retarded by the continuing programmes of protestations and agitations, calls for which are given by the separatist elements,” Vohra said.
Besides the sad loss of lives, he said, the recurring disturbances have adversely impacted tourism and all trade, business and economic activities. “The day to day shut-downs and hartals have also resulted in disrupting the functioning of the governmental machinery and the public delivery systems, closure of transport, difficulties in the movement of goods and services and prolonged delays in the implementation of growth and development programmes in the State,” he said.
He said that the educational system has suffered irreparable damage on account of the recurring agitations.
“The repeated interruptions in the teaching and examination schedules of educational institutions have adversely affected the career prospects of our youth. I have held many meetings with teachers and educational administrators and repeatedly appealed that all possible steps must be taken to see that arising problems are not allowed to affect the education of our children. It is unfortunate that parents, teachers and the civil society have not so far gathered the courage for protecting the educational system and saving our youth from getting embroiled in the agendas of the disruptive elements.”
However, he said it was noteworthy that, notwithstanding the severe difficulties faced in the recent years, “our boys and girls have been doing extremely well in the various pan-India competitive examinations.”
He also appealed leaders of all the state’s mainstream political parties to shed their differences and “urgently” join hands, forge an agreed approach and commence meaningful discussions “with the leaders of all groups which propagate divergent beliefs.” “As past experience has shown, differences of varied nature can be peacefully resolved through dialogue and discussion,” he said.
Vohra said that the collective voice of the various mainstream political parties would assume much greater strength if all the civil society groups in J&K, of whatever kind, also join the cause to negate the agendas of those who seek to de-stabilise the State.
“In the backdrop of the prolonged sufferings which the people of the State have been going through, the time has come for every political party in the State to critically assess the net outcome of the policies it has followed in the past and what exactly it seeks to achieve in the future.”
He said it was a sad reality that in the past years, when the State witnessed recurring turmoil, members of the various political parties, whether in or out of power, “failed to muster courage for venturing out of their secure habitats to meet, hear and talk even to their own electors!”
The mainstream political parties in the State, he said, need to accept the challenge of reaching out to their people in the villages and towns and winning the hearts and minds of the youth.
“I would conclude by reiterating that if our State is to achieve peace and normalcy and embark on the path of progress and prosperity, the leaders of all political, social, cultural and religious organisations, the civil society and all other stakeholders in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions, must lose no more time in closing ranks and working together for restoring a positive environment in the State. Side by side, the various public services cadres which comprise the governmental machinery must also not be found wanting on any count.” He also greeted Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and members of her Council of Ministers and expressed hope that the State Government shall take all required initiatives, including early elections to Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies, to provide good governance and restore normalcy in the State.
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