Facing criticism for singing in chorus with the Jammu-based political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party in front of the Delimitation Commission, the National Conference president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah on Sunday defended his party's decision to submit two different memorandums before the panel.
On July 6, the National Conference had asked for delimitation only on the basis of population while appearing before the panel in Srinagar.
“Population has to be the only norm as has been the practice here in the past in J&K and elsewhere in the country”, the copy of the NC memoranda mentioned it clearly.
While Provincial President of the National Conference in Jammu and former MLA Devender Sinha Rana, younger brother of MoS (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, had batted for delimiting the constituencies as per the constitutional framework based on the basic tenets of Delimitation – population, geography, topography, area, physical features, contiguity, convenience of administrative units and facilities of easy communication and approachability of public convenience.
Several Jammu based parties including BJP too were seeking fresh delimitation on the basis of these parameters to counter the agenda of the Kashmir based political parties. The top brass of the National Conference faced criticism from different quarters especially in Kashmir valley.
On Sunday when reporters quizzed Dr Abdullah after he offered prayers at the mausoleum of his mother on the occasion of her 21st death anniversary Dr Abdullah reacted sharply claiming the issues in the two regions of the union territory were different from each other. He said the different issues projected by the party”s Jammu unit should not worry the people. “Jammu has separate issues, while Kashmir has separate issues. Why are you (referring to reporters) worried?”
Political pundits observed, “it is a major development as for the first time the National Conference leaders from Jammu region have attempted to project the demands of people of Jammu region which were in contrast to the sentiments prevailing in the valley”.
As per the grapevine the National Conference is attempting to cozy up to the ruling dispensation in New Delhi and had also decided to attend the meeting with the Delimitation commission while PDP and Awami National Conference, two other constituents of Peoples' Alliance for Gupkar Declaration had stayed away from the meeting.
Commenting on the ground situation in Afghanistan and whether it would have any effect on Kashmir, Abdullah said he prays to God to bring peace to that country.
“Afghanistan is a separate country. May God bring peace there and do whatever is right for the people there. I cannot say anything more than this because I have no relation with Afghanistan,” he said.