Valley’s Mainstream Parties: Who Do They Represent

The then National Conference candidate for the Anantnag Parliament seat Dr Mehboob Beigh  told a Srinagar based  news agency  during 2014 elections that,  “Whether you like it or not it is a fact that ‘Freedom Movement’ is going on. Separatists had called for poll boycott and most of the people responded to it,”.

If what a senior NC leader then said is taken as truth then the question arises, whom then do these mainstream political parties in the Kashmir Valley represent? And this question could be posed to Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti  and whether their Greater Autonomy or Self Rule have endorsement of the local masses.

Mehboob Beig’s  Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency is vacant even in November  2018 more than two years after Mehbooba Mufti resigned after being sworn in as Chief Minister of J&K in 2016. This vacuum simply puts question mark on  the  grip of the local ‘mainstream’ political leadership over the masses .

In Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency  PDP had won 11 out of 16 assembly segments but the same constituency has remained most disturbed even during Mehbooba Mufti’s tenure as Chief Minister of PDP- BJP alliance government. How could Satya Pal Malik, just within a couple of months of his taking over as Governor venture into holding Local Bodies as well as Panchayat elections?

It was on Oct 26th 2008 that news about the release of the  J&K Peoples Democratic Party’s  “Jammu & Kashmir, The Self-Rule Framework for Resolution” appeared in the print media.  Before that it was the 26th June  2000  that on the  last day of the special session convened from 19th June  to discuss the report of the State Autonomy Committee  -SAC appointed by the  Sate Government  was tabled on April 13, 1999 (recommending  changes in Centre-State government relations) the resolution moved by the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mr. P. L. Handoo  was passed  with Congress (I), the BJP and the Panthers members staging a walk  out and BSP supporting the resolution that said “This House having discussed the report of the SAC, tabled on April 13, 1999, records its approval of the same and its acceptance of the recommendations made and `demands that the Centre and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir take positive and effective steps for implementing the same”.

Dr. Abdullah the then Chief Minister had said, “This was a good beginning towards achieving what we promised our people in 1996,  no one, including the National Conference, was ready to take up the challenge of the elections then. But, we were assured by the people in New Delhi on autonomy so we jumped into the elections at the risk of not only our lives but the lives of lakhs of people.”

Of course the same was rejected by the NDA-I Cabinet in 2000 itself (The cabinet, therefore, decides not to accept the resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on the report of the State Autonomy Committee. The Government is of the firm conviction that national integration and devolution of powers to States must go together).  And still in 2018 the  National Conference leadership  professes that  the ultimate medication for the ‘turmoil’ in the Indian State of J&K has been suffering from lies in the recommendations as were made in the 1999 report of State Autonomy Committee  that was accepted by the  state legislature in June 2002.

No other article of Constitution of India other than Article-370 has remained the subject of political debates whenever some individuals or groups have been venturing into finding remedies to the miseries that the people of J&K  have been suffering due to inadequacies / questions being raised by some even related to constitutional integrity of state of J&K with the Union.

But in recent years Autonomy Resolution 2000 or greater autonomy slogans have more been used by NC in the name of protecting the identity, aspirations and exclusiveness of ‘Kashmiris’ (people of J&K).

PDP too has been trying to project itself as savior of Kashmiri identity, Kashmiri aspirations and holding to the cause of people of J&K.  

Even the people of Kashmir valley have been kept in dark by local “mainstream parties”. The  low polling percentages in 2008/ 2009, 2014  polls  and the way the bye election  to Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency has been indefinetly deferred speaks   enough of the (poor ) hold  the  two major  mainstream parties have even in Kashmir Valley not to talk of all the three regions of J&K.

It is time for NC and PDP to introspect that whom do they represent? And of course they must also revisit their Autonomy and Self Rule doctrines.

BJP  agreeing in writing to the Agenda for Alliance with the PDP on 1st March 2015 was a surprise moreso when it agreed to maintain the  existing status of J&K in the Constitution of India; and ofcourse ‘this’ reference was to Art 370 in which the political parties like NC and PDP see a special status  provided in Constitution of India to J&K.  

Some controversy was further added by the BJP led Union Government when in a written reply to Q 138 (“whether it is a fact that through Article 370, the Constitution gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir” ) in Rajya Sabha Government of India said on 11 March 2015 “ In the Constitution of India, there is no mention of ‘Special Status to Jammu and Kashmir’. Article 370 provides for ‘Temporary provisions with respect to the State of Jammu and Kashmir’J&K”. Even after that the references in the Agenda for Alliance were left untouched. With what seriousness the the J&K affairs have been handled all these years by Indian leadership could well be read from these quotes.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the then Chief Minister had in 2015 made very alarming claims  as well as accusations on National Conference as he was quoted as having  said on 25th April while addressing a public meeting at Kangan:  “There are people in Kashmir, who say that they don’t accept Indian constitution. It is their democratic right and they are free to propagate their ideology as democracy is the battle of ideas. However, we have a firm belief in Indian Constitution and believe that resolution of Kashmir issue lies within the ambit of Indian constitution. Jammu and Kashmir could perhaps land up in a bigger trouble this time if NC is allowed to subvert the democratic institutions and processes, the way it did in 1987. But with the support of the people, PDP would fight every such move of the NC tooth and nail that is aimed at robbing the state’s people of their democratic rights.”
Mufti Sahib did say that he holds firm belief in Indian Constitution and believed that resolution of Kashmir issue lies within the ambit of Indian constitution, but he did not send any indications  for going for a review of the contents of PDP’s 2008 “Self-Rule Framework for Kashmir Resolution”   to see whether that fitted with in the frame work of Constitution of India and truthfully hold to J&K being an integeral part of India  since  one would ask  that otherwise how could Self Rule proposals like   (i) India and Pakistan having joint control over some affairs of J&K, (ii) currencies of both India & Pakistan remaining legal tenders of common use  in the Indian State of J&K and provisions like (iii)  J&K State on her own deciding the import / export  tariff for two ‘main lands’ and other world  would be described as being  with in ambit of the  Constitution of India?.

Similarly Dr Farooq Abdullah too had very loudly said in 2014  and again in 2018 that it is only the Greater Autonomy that can provide a workable solution to undo the wrongs done in J&K to return peace & stability. Was Dr. Farooq Abdullah  suggesting that (i) acceptance of 2000 Autonomy Resolution by Union will bring an end to the present turmoil and will neutralize separatist elements in Kashmir Valley , (ii)  it will  make PDP to abandon Self Rule demand (iii)   Greater Autonomy  being within the provisions of Indian Constitution  will also address Huriyat Conference demands  (iv)  it will undo the socio economic damage done to people of J&K after 1953 ( he has yet to quote  data  regarding this)  (v)  it will fulfill the  aspirations of Kashmiris in particular and people of J&K in general (what are the  aspirations has not been yet spelled out) , (vi) it will economically and administratively more benefit people of Kashmir Valley (how?), (vii) it will  benefit J&K  by  moving out of financial integration with Union of India ( how?) and like.

There is such a large divergence of opinions and poles apart conduct  even of the two mainstream parties like NC & PDP yet they claim to  represent ‘Kashmiri aspirations and cause’, who will  believe their claims? 

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