Assembly with senior Congress chief and Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari indian categorical On the Middle’s presently stalled plan to introduce a invoice that will permit direct governance of the Union Territories. Tewari explains why the constitutional preparations for Chandigarh can’t low cost its historic improvement. excerpt:
I used to be extraordinarily perplexed {that a} proposed constitutional modification, which requires approval by a minimum of two-thirds of the members current in each homes of Congress, was positioned on the listing with out prior session with events.
The truth that it was printed within the second a part of the e-newsletter coping with the upcoming legislative enterprise of the winter session clearly wouldn’t have occurred till the invoice had been developed and authorized, if not throughout the Federal Cupboard, then a minimum of throughout the Ministry of the Inside. In spite of everything, it’s, or was, a constitutional modification. What I actually wished to see was the textual content of the invoice, significantly the aim and explanation why the federal government was pressured to deliver this constitutional modification ahead with no clear two-thirds majority in each homes. The proposed invoice additionally doesn’t take into its purview the historic improvement of Chandigarh.
Was it an try to covertly resolve Chandigarh’s political issues by bringing them throughout the purview of Article 240 of the Structure with out telling them beforehand?
What are the present political points concerning Chandigarh?
Nicely, that is ironic. As a result of, if we take a look at the historical past, Chandigarh was conceived, conceptualized and inaugurated because the capital of East Punjab province between 1949 and 1953 as a substitute for Lahore which was misplaced to Pakistan within the Partition of Pakistan.
Later, when PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab States Union) merged with East Punjab on November 1, 1956, Chandigarh turned the capital of what was then often known as Joint Punjab or Undivided Punjab. This case continued from 1956 to 1966, when Chandigarh was the tenth parliamentary constituency within the Vidhan Sabha of Punjab and was represented by Sardar Niranjan Singh Talab, who was additionally the Minister of State for Capital Planning in Punjab, then often known as Chandigarh.
In 1966, the trifurcation of Punjab befell. Haryana was carved out of Punjab. A part of Punjab went to Himachal Pradesh. Chandigarh was declared a Union Territory purely as an interim measure. It is because on Might 31, 1966, the Shah Fee, which was chargeable for the trifurcation of Punjab, had really useful that Kalar tehsil, together with Chandigarh, ought to be given to the predominantly Hindi-speaking state of Haryana. Now, this led to huge unrest and unrest in Punjab from Might 1966 to November 1966, and finally Chandigarh turned a Union Territory, the place even in the present day it’s primarily inhabited by Punjabi talking folks.
From 1966 to 1986, varied makes an attempt had been made to resolve political issues. Within the 1970 Indira Gandhi Award, Chandigarh was given to Punjab as a substitute of Fazilka and Abohar going to Haryana. No motion was taken thereafter. Later, on July 24, 1985, the Rajiv Longowal Settlement as soon as once more gave Chandigarh to Punjab and proposed that some adjoining Hindi-speaking areas of Punjab be transferred to Haryana. Once more, no motion was taken. Subsequently, in January 1986, the Mathew Committee, the Venkatramaiah Committee and the Desai Committee had been appointed to implement the provisions of the Rajiv-Longowal Settlement, however nothing actually got here of it. To date this difficulty has been in deep freeze for the previous 40 years. And alternatively, Chandigarh’s governance construction is totally fossilized, incapable of resolving pending administrative points and even taking a long-term view of Chandigarh’s future developmental imperatives.
Might this invoice have addressed these points in any manner, together with improvement issues?
No, as a result of the brand new constitutional association in Chandigarh can’t actually ignore its historic improvement and the truth that it was not conceived as a UT from the start, as was the case with some states in Half C and Half D through the enactment of the Indian Structure. Chandigarh first turned a UT in November 1966 as its political standing couldn’t be resolved when Punjab was trifurcated.
Chandigarh was all the time thought-about because the capital of Punjab because of the lack of Lahore. So, if any constitutional transfer is made concerning Chandigarh, there’s a blended, cultural and linguistic actuality that can not be hoped to be eliminated.
Is sustaining the established order the best choice?
On the finish of the day, Chandigarh’s political issues must be resolved a technique or one other. And the earlier the higher. In different phrases, the claims of Punjab and Haryana are contradictory. And now, surprisingly, even Himachal Pradesh is claiming 7.12% of Chandigarh as if it had been a part of the property that must be divided among the many contesting claimants.
Actually, Chandigarh has the aspirations of round 1.5 million folks whose blended ethos is rooted in Punjab, Punjab and Punjabiyat. There’s additionally the truth that between 1966 and 1986, Chandigarh was given to Punjab attributable to varied initiatives taken by completely different governments. In the long run, the Union Territory standing, which was purported to be an interim measure, turned everlasting. So each time they attempt to do one thing in opposition to Chandigarh and even in opposition to Punjab College in Chandigarh, there’s a massive fuss. Whereas it might be handy to proceed to disregard the difficulty sooner or later, the standard of a politician lies in biting the bullet and at last fixing the political downside as soon as and for all.
Had been you shocked by the timing of the federal government’s transfer?
The governance of Chandigarh is split into two distinctive areas. There are structurally weak native governments and a a lot stronger structural administration with the Governor of Punjab because the administrator. 90% of Chandigarh’s issues are within the governance space managed by the Chandigarh administration.
Subsequently, there’s a want to beat legacy governance points which have been uncared for for over 25 years. No half-hearted resolution or interim measure will remedy the issue except it’s lastly resolved politically. However it will require an indication of political will and conviction of braveness. It dates again greater than 60 years and was singularly absent throughout the tenures of varied political regimes. Comfort took priority over the urgency of creating clear, well-thought-out selections by consulting and constructing consensus amongst all stakeholders.
