NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
ELECTIONS
AUTONOMY
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Rediff Shopping

Shop & gift from thousands of products!   Books     Music       Apparel   Jewellery   Flowers   More..      Safe Shopping

Farooq plans CMs' meet to discuss autonomy

Nitin Gogoi in Guwahati

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah is planning to convene a meeting of chief ministers of states ruled by regional parties to discuss autonomy and other matters concerning Centre-state relations.

Announcing this in Guwahati on Thursday, Abdullah said the meeting could be held as early as August 4 in New Delhi, a day ahead of the meeting of chief ministers convened by the Centre on matters relating to national security.

Abdullah is in Guwahati on a two-day tour as part of his attempt to spread the debate on autonomy across the country.

"Demanding autonomy or more powers to the States does not mean secession from the country. India cannot march on the path of progress without strong states which is possible only through devolution of power," Abdullah said while inaugurating the second session of the two-day State Workers Convention of the ruling Asom Gana Parishad on centre-state relations here on Thursday.

Abdullah said: "We are all Indians. No state can think of its existence without India. But the states must be allowed to exercise their rights and this will be possible only when they are armed with more powers." He cited the example of two most developed countries in the world -- the United States of America and Canada - where the states are armed with tremendous powers.

Justifying Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta's demand for more power to the state, Dr Abdullah lambasted the previous Congress governments for not implementing the Sarkaria Commission's recommendations and the 1974 accord which was signed between the then prime minister Indira Gandhi and the National Conference leader, late Sheikh Abdullah.

He took a swipe at the Congress for betraying Sheikh Abdullah and the Kashmiri people and pushing J&K into the turmoil it is in today. He also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies for failing to fathom the importance autonomy.. "We want strong states to have a stronger Centre," he said.

Abdullah clarified that the essence of the J&K autonomy report was devolution of powers to the states. "All states need autonomy to function better," he reiterated, advocating complete restoration of Article 370 for J&K and a modified Sarkaria Commission model for the rest of the states.

Abdullah ridiculed the BJP for projecting the autonomy controversy as a threat to the country's integrity. "I guess I am fated to have such friends," he said. "But I am also fortunate to have like-minded regional party allies to pursue what we believe is best for our respective states and the country."

Mahanta said the NDA government's fears about automony were unfounded.

"Article 1(I) of the Constitution says India is a Union of States, and since 1919 our country has had a federal structure before political upheavals between1939 and 945 and Independence two years later changed it all."

"Fifty-two years of non-federalism has brought us nowhere, we might as well give autonomy a try," Mahanta said.

See full coverage on autonomy

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report