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| 'India using Jammu to counter and harm Kashmir' | | For and against PDP, BJP alliance | | Neha
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Jan 3: The fractured verdict in Kashmir has further complicated the situation as for as the formation of new government in the state is concerned. There are political forces and others in Kashmir who want the PDP not to forge an alliance with the BJP, saying such an arrangement would be against the long-term interest of Kashmiri Muslims. The BJP in the state government would mean an opportunity for the "rightwing BJP" to erode the Kashmiriyat, undermine the state's special status and create conditions not conducive for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, they have been saying. Even separatists like Abdul Gani Bhat belong to that school of thought that is opposed to the idea of the "Kashmir-centric" PDP forging an alliance with the BJP. This school of thought favours a grand alliance between the PDP, NC, Congress and all the independent MLAs in Kashmir and Kargil.
The idea of grand alliance was first mooted by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, with many in Kashmir, including the MLAs like Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Er Rasheed and Hakim Yaseen, and Hurrriyat leaders like Bhat and Kashmir Mahaz-e-Azadi patron Azam Inquilabi endorsing the idea and urging the PDP leadership to seize the opportunity in the long-term interest of Kashmir and Kashmiri Muslims. To defeat New Delhi's move to use Jammu against Kashmir, it is imperative for Mufti Mohammad Sayeed not to reject the suggestion of grand alliance between "secular and Kashmir-centric parties and MLAs has been their argument.
There are others in Kashmir who want the PDP to join hands with the BJP and form government. They are of the view that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is an intelligent person who can take care of all the Kashmiri interests and advance them further and, at the same time, defeat the New Delhi's moves to use Jammu against the Kashmiri cause.
"Unfortunately, the state, which has been an example of secularism for the rest of the country, has been somewhat polarized. The PDP won in the valley, and the BJP swept the Hindu heartland of Jammu. For the polarization, BJP must shoulder the blame. Polarization has been part of BJP's electoral strategy in all state elections. So electrifying has been the result that the party has jumped from 11 seats in the last election in 2008 to 25 seats in 2014. Polarization has changed the complexion of the state. Jammu has become a base of Hindus, and the valley that of Muslims. Incidentally, the BJP did not get a single seat in the valley as predicted by Omar Abdullah, although it has got a marginal vote share. The problem is not new. By electing Muslims from the valley, the Kashmiris enjoy a vicarious satisfaction of being separate from the rest of India. But one has to bear in mind that the people of Jammu region gave a decisive mandate to BJP, whether it was for the divisive agenda or the development plank. One should not forget that Jammu and Kashmir is a single entity with distinct regional, religious, political and cultural aspirations. Any political dispensation of the state cannot wish this away. In fact it cannot afford to ignore one or the other region. We know that when Vajpayee started composite dialogue with Pakistan despite the baggage of the Kargil incursion, he was criticized by many including the Congress party. However, if Vajpayee is remembered in Kashmir, it is for his statesmanship. Let Mufti walk over the tight-rope in 2014. We are sure he will change the discourse for the good of the valley and the state. He alone has earned goodwill among all sections of society here, and in Jammu too. He can exploit the divisive mandate for regional harmony and equitable development. We strongly believe that if Mufti fails, no one can save this state from disintegration. We think Mufti will be able to transform BJP's controversial vision about Kashmir," they are saying.
The point is that the critics and supporters of the PDP-BJP alliance are airing contradictory views, but their goal is the same. They want a dispensation in the state that, like in the past, is Valley-centric and that promotes the Pakistani cause in Jammu & Kashmir. This approach is dangerous. The times have changed and so is political attitude of Jammu. Any move to treat Jammu in the manner it was treated in the past by the successive Kashmiri-dominated and Valley-centric governments in the state and New Delhi would prove counter-productive. Only that dispensation would work in the state that treats all the regions and all the sections of society they house equally and brings the state closer to New Delhi than ever before. |
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