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| Want Kashmir back into national discourse: PDP | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Apr 22 : Large parts of Srinagar turned into a swamp yet again as it rained continuously last week. They have since turned into a dustbowl thanks to a few sunny days. On the flipside, the power supply has improved. But the traffic jams are perennial among myriad problems dogging the city.
These civic issues would have been as glaring in the national elections had not the ruling National Conference (NC) contested the last assembly polls purely on the 'Bijli, Sadak and Pani' issues while insisting they would have no bearing on the larger Kashmir issue.
There has been little progress in capitalizing on almost negligible militant violence on the development front. On the other hand, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act remains and so does the Public Safety Act for administrative detention.
Experts say anti-incumbency is an issue, but it would not matter if the voter turnout is not higher. The anger against the government's failures could push the voting percentage that has been dismal in the Lok Sabha elections. "Azadi as a sentiment remains strong. But the people want civil liberties and development in the short term which may bring people to the polling booths," said Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari.
There is little to suggest that in at least Kashmir's political nerve centre of Srinagar, where it is difficult to imagine that the constituency is going to the polls next week at least in the urban areas, there is not even a single party flag or banner in the city centre or along the upscale airport road.
"People may vote. But we are going to boycott it," said Gowhar Ahmad, referring to his neighbourhood, Baghi Mehtab, in Srinagar.
But the mood in Srinagar can be deceptive and does not necessarily reflect the feelings particularly in the rural areas, where patronage networks of unionist parties are deeper. "I am going to vote due to the broken promises and because lower turnout helps elect unpopular people," said an Anantnag businessman, who did not wish to be named.
Experts say this has forced the NC to fall back upon its autonomy plank while it has done little for it since the BJP government rejected it over a decade back. The party leaders have been speaking like a broken record warning people against voting for PDP, which they say means supporting BJP prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi.
The BJP leader has become a virtual bogeyman for the ruling party.
"Modi is a nonissue in Kashmir. BJP is perceived to have done much more for Kashmir and the Congress nothing in the last 10 years," said Bhukhari. "Even article 370 is not an issue. You need three-fourth majority to revoke it and if you do that it nullifies J&K's accession with India as in very clear under the Article 1 of the state's constitution."
The PDP is undeterred by the NC's attempts to corner it by making its secret alliance with the BJP its main campaign plank. "Modi is a non-issue.
The NC is trying its old trick of playing with emotions and substituting it with issues. We want to bring back Kashmir back into the national discourse," said PDP leader Nayeem Akhtar. |
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