The Hindu : A successful experiment: Azad

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 12, 2003

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A successful experiment: Azad

By Our Staff Reporter

JAMMU JAN. 11. The chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress unit, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has described the two-month-old coalition Government in the State as a successful "experiment".

Mr. Azad was recently appointed as chairman of the coordination committee set up to facilitate understanding and coordination between the coalition partners, the People's Democratic Party and the Congress, and provide guidelines for framing Government policies.

Talking to The Hindu here, Mr. Azad said: "The coalition Government has been a new experiment in one of the most complex and diverse States of the country which needs a lot of understanding but it has been a satisfactory experience on the whole. The State Government has worked according to the policies agreed to by all the coalition partners in the common minimum programme drafted keeping in mind all the diverse groups which came together at a critical juncture".

However, there was no scope for complacency. "Already a good beginning has been made and there is need to carry on with the good work to reach the target aimed to bring back the State to normality," he added.

All the parties and regions had been given representation in the committee, which would hold discussions from time-to-time to frame policies for the future and also review some, if the need arises.

"We term the new Government as being the dispensation of all the three regions of the State and not one region alone. Every decision taken by the Government keeps in mind the interests of all three regions, thereby strengthening the emotional chord between them." On how far the Government has been able to fulfil the promises made by the coalition partners to their electorate before the elections, he said, "Every decision in the coordination committee is taken by being sensitive to the interests of all the coalition partners".

About the efforts to assuage regional aspirations, Mr. Azad said: "The coordination committee has already pressed for the establishment of a State Finance Commission having a statutory status which will look into the aspect of economic inequality in between the regions and also the backward districts with in the regions".

Elaborating, he said: "The issue of regional inequality is very complex in the State and needs to be understood in great detail. When the Jammu region alleges discrimination, there are also backward districts within the region which feels similarly discriminated and this is equally true for the rest of the regions. It requires a holistic view of the problem".

Also, "we have asked the Government to include Dogri, spoken by a majority of people in Jammu region, in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The inclusion of the language holds a lot of emotional value for the people irrespective of religion. Similarly, giving an autonomous council for Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh will bring the people with a lot of similarities together".

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