Nehru's 97 Major Blunders

by Rajnikant Puranik

A telling example of the consequences of the iniquitous Article 35A is the plight of about 200 Valmiki families brought to J&K as ‘Safai Karamcharis’ (Sanitary workers) in the 1950s on the promise of grant of PRC. However, even after many decades PRCs have not been granted to them, and to their children. Many, who have since acquired required educational qualifications, can’t apply for government jobs in the absence of PRC. They can vote for the Lok Sabha elections but not for J&K legislature, or for the local bodies. Their colony has not been regularised. Another painful example is that of about two lakh Hindu-Sikh refugees who migrated to J&K from West Pakistan in 1947 after Partition—none has received PRC, and they can neither acquire immovable property in J&K, nor avail of educational and other facilities in J&K, nor get government jobs! They are Indian nationals, but not citizens of the J&K state. Their cry for justice has gone unheard for decades. The worst thing about the Article was that although passed on 14 May 1954, it was made applicable retrospectively from 14 May 1944, well before independence! Hindus from Pakistan entered Jammu in 1947 after partition, and were thus handicapped, thanks to this Article—demonstrates how insensitive Nehru was to their plight. Had they been Muslims Nehru’s stand would have been different and accommodating—like it was in case of the Muslims from East Bengal. It is high time this iniquitous Article 35A is dumped along with the Art...