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| Silence of local Congress leadership intriguing, questionable | | Hanging of Guru & vote-bank politics | | Neha
Jammu, Feb 11: Hanging of Mohammad Afzal Guru, convict in the Parliament terrorist attack case, in Tihar Jail in Delhi on February 9 in a secret operation evoked spontaneous response from the Kashmir-based separatist outfits as well as many political parties, including some so-called mainstream parties like the NC, PDP, CPI-M and the PDF. The separatist outfits, without any exception, condemned both the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre and the NC-led coalition Government in the State and threatened retaliation, besides a shutdown and protest demonstrations. The PDP also reacted and attacked both the NC and the Congress. The PDP -apart from attacking the NC - also accused Congress of taking decision on Guru for diverting people's attention away from the real issues facing the people in order to puncture the BJP's movement against the Congress Party. The otherwise defunct DPF of Hakim Mohammad Yasin (MLA) reacted as well. He not only condemned the hanging of Guru but also demanded resolution of the "basic Kashmir issue". Even the NC gave its response, notwithstanding the fact that the NC leader and CM and NC additional general secretary spoke differently on the same issue. It is, however true, that the unnerved CM on Sunday questioned the Government of India for what it did to Guru obviously to prevent the PDP from taking political mileage in the wake of Guru's hanging.
The Jammu-based parties, including the BJP, J&K chapter of the national political formation, also reacted. Their reaction was different from the responses on the hanging of Guru evoked in Kashmir valley. In Jammu, the reaction was one of overwhelming satisfaction. Everyone who spoke on the issue welcomed the decision, of course, coupled with an accusation that the Congress delayed the execution for more than seven long years for vote-bank politics. There was not only consensus among the Jammu-based established political parties and groups on the issue, but they were also one as far as their commitment to the country as well as their resolve to defeat the scourge of terrorism was concerned.
However, what has been conspicuous is the stoic silence of the local Congress leadership, including the Jammu-based Congress leaders. They did not react on February 9 and they also did not react this or that way yesterday despite the fact that a number of Kashmiri leaders had spit venom on India and the Congress party. The silence of the local Congress leaders, including the JKPCC president Saif-ud-Din Soz, is not just intriguing, but also questionable.
There are reasons to believe that it is its concern for vote-bank politics that has motivated the local Congress leadership to keep its mouth shut. It is important to note that the Congress party, which has little support-base in the Kashmir valley, had won eight Muslim-majority - Bhaderwah, Doda, Ramban, Banihal, Inderwal, Rajouri, Surankote, and Gool Arnas-- and five Hindu-majority Assembly seats in Jammu province - Billawar, Gandhi Nagar, Akhnoor, Chhamb and Chenani -- in 2008 and only three seats in Kashmir, all almost hundred per cent Muslim-dominated seats. It is the fear of the local Congress leadership losing votes in the Muslim-dominated Assembly constituencies both in Jammu province and Kashmir region, which, it appears, has made them not to utter a word in support of or against the hanging of Guru. That even Congress MPs, who represent Jammu province in the Lok Sabha, have not spoken a word, does suggest that the silence of the local Congress leadership is deliberate. The silence is intriguing and questionable all the more because on February 9 Mustafa Kamaal spit venom not only on the Government of India but also on the Congress party. It is important to note that the people have taken note of this political behaviour of the local Congress leadership. |
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