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| Retired Babus can no more choose easier route of LC to join politics | | |
Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Sep 3: Turning Jammu and Kashmir state into two union territories has worried bureaucrats who after retirement have now no choice to choose easier route of Legislative Council to join politics.
On August 5, the Narendra Modi-led government abrogated the Article 370, 35 A besides bifurcated the state into two union territories.
Although the Jammu and Kashmir will have assembly but there won't be Legislative Council.
Over the years, several trade union leaders and bureaucrats in Jammu and Kashmir have made their way into politics without winning the elections or choosing an easier route to Legislative Council.
It has been seen that although several bureaucrats contested unsuccessful elections but some former government servants preferred to take the easier route of the Upper House of the State Legislature. This easier route is no more exist in Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh after converting the state into union territories.
A bureaucrat, who is nearing retirement, said he was promised by a political party he would be elected to Legislative Council after the retirement.
"I don't know whether I will join the politics as I have to contest then polls for which I have to strengthen ground for contest elections," the bureaucrat said, wishing not to be quoted by name.
Another bureaucrat said that retired bureaucrats are reluctant to contest polls instead prefer that a political party send them to Legislative Council.
"Not a single bureaucrat has won the elections over the years placing a question mark on their overall stature among people. This is reason, retired bureaucrats wanted to go to Legislative Council, the choice no more available for them," he added.
"People have no appetite for post retirement politics. Post retirement politics have been trashed and rejected. People believe a leader should grow with time with people," he said.
Several bureaucrats including three former chief secretaries- BR Kundal, Vijay Bakaya and Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, and Syed Asgar Hussain, Ghulam Qadir Pardesi, Naeem Akthar also took route of the Council while not contesting the polls.
The rejection of retired Babus once they come to electoral politics also raises serious questions over the objectivity of the decisions taken by these public servants while they were in office.
Take for instance former IGP Crime, Raja Ajaz, who after his retirement joined the Peoples Democratic Party. He contested 2014 assembly elections from Uri constituency but lost to National Conference leader Mohammad Shafi Uri. He has joined Sajad Lone-led Peoples Conference but lost Lok Sabha polls from north Kashmir.
Former prominent trade union leader Mohammad Khurshid Alam joined the PDP in 2013. He unsuccessfully contested the 2014 assembly polls from Khanyar. He was later elected member of Legislative Council. Another former employees leader Muntazir Mohiuddin too contested the assembly polls unsuccessfully from Budgam constituency on PDP's ticket.
Another trade union leader Abdul Qayoom Wani too lost the elections. |
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