Mehbooba Mufti must take risks

Mufti Sayeed had said on Ist March , the day he took oath of office of J&K Chief Minister in 2015 that the way people  voted in 2014  legislative assembly elections very clearly demonstrated  that the people of Jammu region are poles apart from the people of Kashmir region ( one is north pole and other is south pole). Mufti opined that since people of Kashmir region have voted overwhelmingly for PDP and people of Jammu Region have voted for BJP he had very faithfully  decided for PDP-BJP alliance with the spirit of agenda resting more in development  so that any further alienation of the people of two regions could be  discouraged. No doubt the ‘spirit’ was pious but both PDP and BJP could not rise much above simple ‘politicalconstituency interests’ and kept on reminding their people that  each of them represented only ‘one’ region. They had come together to bring the people of the regions together again but the way the ‘two allies’  had worked for 10 months appear to have made the distances to further grow and the way PDP has ventured on 14th July into performance appraisal of Mofti Mohd Sayeed – Nirmal Singh lead J&K Government before spelling out re alliance with BJP or otherwise too indicates so. 

No doubt in Jammu Region also many BJP supporters started questioning the  wisdom of the architects of  the agenda for alliance with PDP. But more of eyebrows were raised in Kashmir valley since over the years the local leaderships as well as all non BJP  political parties have been , among other things ,talking more of J&K being the only muslim majority state of India and RSS backed groups / parties were being named as the agencies working to dislodge the muslim majority identity of ‘Kashmir’.  The politicians had associated with the identity of J&K ( Kashmir)  slogans on ‘Kashmiriat’/ special status / Art-370  and like more for vote seeking and very very less for the benefit of the common man. So, how serious such issues have bcome for maintaining peace and stability in J&K could be well gauged from the opinions that many academicians, advocates and  civic society activists are expressing in local media  worth making guiding suggestions to Mehbooba Mufti for formation of new government .

Mufti Sahib had opined that the aspirations of the people of two main regions of J&K are different. This ‘sermon’ from the ‘elder’  leader who had remained a Union Minister twice and also J&K Chief Minister should have been taken seriously by New Delhi BJP leadership but it appeared that it was taken so. While referring to aspirations of two regions being different Mifti Sahib did not mean that Kashmiri people wanted ‘cement concrete’ roads and Jammu people wanted ‘macadam’  black top roads ; Mufti Sahib did not mean that Kashmir  people wanted  ‘thermal power’ and Jammu people wanted ‘hydel’ power. Whereas, while talking of different ‘aspirations’ Mufti Sahib had been indirectly referring  to such conceptual and emotional aspirations that among other things concerned issues like so called ‘Kashmir dispute’, Art-370 of Constitution of India, Center state relations ,Indo- Pak relations, 1947 accession , common civil code, Kashmiriat, local identities , human rights and like  but in this direction no much positive work was done by Delhi that was otherwise more needed for amicable ideological reformation . 

People had asked on 8th Jan itself that will Mehbooba Mufti accept to assume the office of Chief Minister of J&K  and  is the delay due to some internal bickering with in PDP  or because she  wanted to have some changes in the terms of alliance with BJP? What could be the challenges before Mehbooba for carrying  her party  worth standing to the need for getting through the 2020 elections successfully ?. People for last 7 days have remained occupied more with such like questions than expressing sympathies with Mufti family.More so had there been any resistance from  within the PDP cadres for Mehbooba to assume office but Mehbooba still willing to become the Chief Minister she would have taken oath without losing any time since her party and BJP had expressed no reservations on 8th January. 

Those out of power would always like that either they too get some share of power or those likely to hold or holding reins do not have smooth sailing.A politician will go with one of the lesser enemy to see that two of the other enemies do not come together. And the same way the criticismfor delays in forming government andhalf said offers of support  to PDP from NC or Congress should be seen. 

As regards Mehbooba carrying alliance with BJP there should not be any serious problem at the momentand more over in case Mehbooba Mufti takes oath as Chief Minister she has the advantage of being with NDA government at center.  Yes slogans on ‘aspirations’ and ‘identities’ will have to be pushed to the walls and common man’s local material needs would have to be delivered on ground.

Any how in today’s politics , anything abnormal too can happen. PDP can join with Congress and SajjadLones ‘mainstream ‘ People Conference may not be surprise entry to raise the numbers from 44 to 46. Of course possibilities of BJP – NC  are not extremely remote but for that BJP will have to take some additional steps forward worth assuring Dr. Farooq Abdullah that no political gamesmanship will exercised during the alliance.

Mehbooba Mufti will have some difficult challenges to face in coming times.PDP had routed National Conference in Kashmir Valley with its ‘self rule’ formulae( Autonomy for J&K from India nations State) that in a way goes beyond the constitutional limits that  still bind National Conference’s  Greater Autonomy  doctrine as regards the  Center – State power sharing but PDP also well knows that  PDP can not carry the ‘self rule’ doctrine to its ultimate execution. So, it will be better for PDP to find some alternate way out for taking to future political game plans on level grounds with in the provisions of constitution of India and see that more attention is paid to internal affairs of state only. To start with the job may appear difficult but surely it will payback. Mehbooba Mufti is young leader and she can afford to take risk for venturing into pure mainstream politics as otherwise  peace and stability in J&K  appears a remote possibility. 

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