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| Is Omar keeping various options for tie-up open? | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 12: When Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, said that "it will be foolish for the UPA constituents to ignore the Modi factor. It would be a dangerous mistake" was he trying to keep the option open for any tie-up with a non-Congress Government in the Centre where the National Conference could share power? NC leadership has had the experience of joining hands with the BJP led Government in the Centre when Omar Abdullah joined the Union Council of Ministers in 2001.
This is an interesting question because till date the Congress leadership seems to ignore the Modi factor during the Lok Sabha election, due next year. And till the other day both Omar and his father, Farooq Abdullah, have not shown any anxiety over the rise of Narendra Modi as the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate.
And what seems to be intriguing about Omar Abdullah's interview with a national daily is his acceptance of Modi's rise to have some impact on the poll process. Omar has said "six month ago if I were asked" about the impact and importance of Modi factor "I would have said that Modi factor would have no effect at all."
"But today it would be foolish on my part to do that. Modi has galvanized th cadre and there is expectation even in Jammu that the BJP would return to power under Modi," Omar has stated.
Omar has held himself and all the constituents responsible for not providing an alternative to Modi and he wants to take the initiative of finding an alternative to him because he believes that by giving him(Modi) a long rope would mean that he could hang "us" later. Those who read Omar's latest statement they find that loaded with double meaning. If on one hand Omar is realizing that Modi has started assuming bigger political status stature that could help him to alter the course of the poll results, on the other he is not yet prepared to burn his bridges with the Congress. It is so because he is not sure about the poll results.
It seems that Omar has learnt a lesson or two from Dr Farooq Abdullah who has, since 1984, following one main political principle. That is to be by the right side of the party that is in power in the Centre. In fact the bitter experience tasted by Farooq in 1984, when his duly elected Government was dislodged through defections within the National Conference, had taught him one main lesson. The ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir has to be by the right side of the power in the Centre to ensure the State Government's survival. He knows it well that the Congress high command had engineered defections within the NC in 1984 falling his Government would have completed full six year term.
Though Omar has neither praised Modi nor supported him but his realisation that it would be dangerous if Modi was ignored by the UPA and its constituents hereby meaning that even for National Conference it would be dangerous if Modi wa ignored. Does it indicate that Omar was trying to keep a channel of communication with Modi open so that if Jammu and Kashmir had a yet another spell of NC led rule after the next year's Assembly election and in the Centre it was a non-Congress Government he could ensure his Government's survival ?
Yes, judged by the fragile political security and financial strength in Jammu and Kashmir any Government in Srinagar cannot function in isolation of the Central Government's patronage and support. That is quite evident when the Government in Jammu and Kashmir has to bank on 80 to 90 per cent financial support from the Central Government for its plan and non-plan sectors.
Not a bad idea if Omar tries to keep various options open for his future tie-ups. It is a sign of maturity and political wisdom. |
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