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| Kashmiri 'pain' moves compassionate Rahul | | Taunting Jammu | | Neha
JAMMU, Oct 6: Compassionate AICC general secretary and the Congress's Prime Ministerial candidate, Rahul Gandhi, remained in Srinagar for more than 24 hours and did exactly what was expected of him. He had brought business tycoons to Srinagar and his targets were the people of highly privileged and prosperous Kashmir in general and Kashmiri youth in particular. His objective was to tell Kashmiri people and Kashmiri youth that the Congress would maintain relations with them the way it has been maintaining relations with the Abdullah family.
During his brief interaction with media persons the day he reached Srinagar, he made it absolutely clear that he will always be at the back and call of the NC and that he would, if the situation so arises, pursue the policy his ancestors pursued as far as Kashmir and Kashmiri people belonging to a particular religious sect are concerned. How else should one interpret his statements that he wanted to understand the pain of people of Kashmir and that he wanted to work with State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah? "I have two goals here. First is to establish a relation with you (Kashmiri people) and understand your pain deeply. Second goal is to connect Kashmiri youth with the development process. I want to establish a relationship with you; a lifelong relationship. There were close ties between Sheikh Abdullah and his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru and his father Rajiv Gandhi had strong links with Farooq Abdullah".
It was clear from what he said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his NC are in a very comfortable position and that he doesn't share the views of those in the State Congress who are demanding empowerment of panchayats, equal say in the governance of the State and more representation in the Council of Ministers. The very fact that the JKPCC chief urged Rahul Gandhi to intervene and appealed to him to make Omar Abdullah adopt and implement the 73rd Constitutional amendment and that too in Srinagar was a clear indication that he and other Congress leaders in the State had been making a hue and cry over the issue without the consent of Rahul Gandhi or those who matter in the Congress. Rahul Gandhi's yesterday statement that it was the prerogative of the Jammu and Kashmir Government to empower or not to empower panchayats should clinch the whole issue and establish that the local leadership is just irrelevant and that it is Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his NC which reign supreme in the State.
It was also clear from what Rahul Gandhi said that the people of Jammu Pradesh, who have suffered since 1947 owing to the discriminatory policies being pursued by Kashmiri leaders, have no place whatsoever in the scheme of things of those who control the Congress party, and that he, like others who matter in Delhi, is not prepared to discard the age-old appeasement policy. (Kashmiri leadership wants separation; this is the cause of their pain.) Rahul was moved by the "pain" of Kashmiri Muslims, despite the fact that it is they who have been ruling the State and exploiting the people of Jammu Pradesh, but the miserable plight of the people of Jammu Pradesh as well as refugees of all varieties, all victims of fanaticism, failed to move the Congress's prince. It was the failure of the Jammu-based Congress leadership. But what happened was destined to happen. Rahul had to taunt the people of Jammu Pradesh because he wanted to identify himself with the privileged Kashmir and he did exactly the same. |
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