It's the last thing the trouble-torn state needs - a strong undercurrent of subnationalism. There is a visible movement in Jammu and the Ladakhis are upset. The state government, on its part, has confounded the confusion.While certain groups in Jammu demand a separate state, Ladakhis are agitated against the alleged discriminatory policies of the Kashmiri leadership. They say they would settle for nothing less than Union Territory status for this highest Himalayan region.Some ruling legislators have disturbed these already volatile relations by demanding a separate administrative region, comprising the pre-dominantly Muslim districts of Rajouri, Poonch and Doda.Recently, Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah announced in the state assembly that the State Government has received not one but two reports from the Regional Autonomy Panel, set up about two years ago to suggest measures to diffuse inter-regional tensions among Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh by devolution of political, financial and administrativepowers.Where did this second report has come? There was only one report submitted by Balraj Puri and his team at the Regional Autonomy Panel. There was, obviously, no explanation.Curiously enough, a long-time champion of devolution theory and socialist, Balraj Puri, was unceremoniously dismissed as co-chairman of the panel with effect from December 31, 1998. However, the term of all other members of the panel was extended till March 31, 1999.The government was, it appears, not very happy with the recommendations of the Puri-led Panel which submitted its report to the government a few months back, hence it required some amendments. The extended period of the term of other members of the panel was enough to dish out the second report on regional autonomy.Puri asks if Farooq did not want an honest observation and recommendations from a duly appointed committee why was he (Puri) allowed to function for more than two years and then was dismissed? He received a communication from the government onJanuray 21, 1999 informing that he ceases to be the co-chairman of the committee with effect from December 31, 1998. Puri was in a fix. During January, he had visited Mumbai and other places for official purposes but he cannot claim these expenses from the government.The state government, Puri believes, should not treat these regional tensions so casually as these can blow into major problems, affecting the basic structure of the state.While several separatist groups have been demanding `independence' for the last several years, a few ruling party legislators have made things worse by demanding a separate administrative zone of Rajouri, Pooonch and Doda disticts of Jammu region.As if not be left behind, Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh recently resolved to have a separate state for Jammu region. His party's vociferous legislator, Harsh Dev Singh spoke aggressively for the Jammuites who feel that their region had always got a raw deal.Singh said: ``Farooq Abdullah should step down in a magnanimousgesture to install a Jammuite Chief Minister to honour the aspirations of the people of Jammu region.''What are the most apparent examples of regional bias? Jammu leaders promptly reply: Out of the total number of employees working in the state secretariat, 1,225 belonged to Kashmir region, 398 to Jammu and only eight to Ladakh region.It is not that state and Central governments had not realised the growing resentment among the Jammuites. In 1967, the Gajendragadkar Commission was set up to look into the complaints of regional imbaances and study the reasons for the growing tension among the regions and suggest solutions as well.The commission had supported Jammu's complaint of discrimination on various fronts and had suggested, among other things, equal representation to Jammu in the cabinet with one Deputy Chief Minister from this region. For Ladakh, which is demographically very small, the commission suggested one cabinet minister.Most of the suggestions of Gajendragadkar commission wereconveniently overlooked but medical and engineering colleges were set up in the Jammu region.Again in 1979, the then Chief Minister Shiekh Abdullah was compelled to order a commission of inquiry following violent demonstrations and subsequent deaths of some agitationists in Jammu. The Justice S.M. Sikri Commission in its report, submitted in 1980, had blamed regional imbalances for the trouble. It had suggested a judicious administrative approach in allocation of funds for developmental projects, recruitment and opportunities in the field of education.Recently, a delegation of the councilors led by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Chairman, Thupstan Chewwang met Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and demanded not to grant more political autonomy as it was likely to severely increase the regional imbalances in the militancy-afflicted state.They also complained that the State Government was deliberately undermining the elected LHDC, proving once again that the leadership has a discriminatoryattitude towards the Ladakh region.Historian Hari Om, who has been propagating greater devolution of powers to different regions, believes that if Farooq Abdullah sincerely wishes to harmonise relations between Kashmir and Ladakh and between Kashmir and Jammu, he has no option but to trifurcate the state. There could be other solutions but first, the leadership has to learn to understand the issue.
