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| War of words between NC, PDP turning bitter | | Kashmir's political scene | | Rustam
JAMMU, July 18: The ruling NC and the main opposition PDP are engaged in a bitter war of words. The struggle for dominating the Kashmir's election scene is, in fact, becoming more and more shrill with each passing day. The NC, which suffered a massive defeat in the Lok Sabha election and could not lead even in 10 out of 46 assembly segments in Kashmir Valley, including Ganderbal and Hazratbal, considered its pocket boroughs, is so afraid of the PDP that it has started leveling serious but unsubstantiated charges against the PDP leadership in its desperate bid to deflect the people's attention away from the real issues and strike a chord with the Kashmiri constituency. It has turned so confused that its top leadership has been accusing the Narendra Modi government at the centre of being pro-Jammu without realizing the negative impact this line could have on Jammu province and Ladakh region, which elect 41 members to the assembly. NC working president and J&K CM Omar Abdullah's stand on the sanctioned IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) for Jammu has not gone down well with the people of this province, who have all along complained that they never got what was their legitimate due share in the governance of the state and that the Kashmiri leadership has been patently Valley-centric. His stand on the IIT has led many people in Jammu and Ladakh to believe that Omar Abdullah is not CM of the state and that he is just CM of the Kashmir Valley.
At the same time, the NC leadership has turned more radical hoping the adoption of a radical line could help it take on and beat the upbeat PDP. It has made it loud and clear that it would contest the upcoming assembly election on the plank of greater autonomy, again, without realizing that the bulk of population of these Jammu and Ladakh is vehemently opposed to the autonomy demand. Its insistence on autonomy or semi-independence has further eroded its support-base in Jammu and Ladakh, where the BJP has been trying to en-cash the unpopularity of both the NC and the Congress. The BJP leadership is pulsating with vigour and has adopted as its goal 44+ seats in the assembly elections. The fact of the matter is that the fast-growing popularity of the PDP, which won all the three Lok Sabha seats defeating the NC bigwigs, including the party president Farooq Abdullah, has rattled the NC leadership and the result is that it is abusing, ridiculing and attacking the PDP leadership, but with no result.
The PDP leadership, on the other hand, is using every possible opportunity to expose what it calls the coalition's misrule. It has been saying the NC has lost its credibility because it has failed to ensure economic growth and high employment, provide protection to the citizens of the state and dispense equal justice to all. It has been accusing the NC of misappropriating or misusing the public money to accommodate the NC men. The campaign of the PDP against the NC is so strong that even its red flag with a plough and ringing speeches have not been able to yield the desired results. The attack of the PDP on the NC has been so sharp. The general view in the Valley is that the NC is unlikely to reach double-digit and this view just cannot be rejected. The political situation in the Valley is certainly not favouring the NC.
The PDP has added to the difficulties of the NC all the more by challenging its very concept of autonomy. It has been saying that "autonomy from the Government of India" cannot help the Kashmiris protect and promote their identity. It has been saying only "autonomy from the nation state of India" is the only way out. It has started talking in terms of a "nation state" for the Kashmiris. The truth, in short, is that the PDP has been launching a multi-pronged attack on the NC and working as per a strategy, which, it appears, is clicking.
What has further added to the woes of the NC is the presence of three MPs in the Lok Sabha, who can use this forum to the party's advantage.
The main problem with the NC is that its leadership is in the hands of those who are virtually green-horn in politics. All in all, it can be said that the NC is in for a bigger trouble and the PDP likely to perform well in the Valley. |
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