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| Jammu will have a say in the governance of the state | | 'Days of Kashmiri hegemony over' | |
Rustam
Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 7: Politically conscious people of Jammu province want the popularly-elected government in place as soon as possible. They say they didn't vote for the Governor's rule. They also say that "gone are the days when Kashmir used to dominate the state's polity and economy and nation-building institutions" and that "the earlier dispensations in the state were of Kashmir, by Kashmir and for Kashmir". But more than that, they also say that "for the first time after the state's accession to India in October 1947, they will have equal representation in the Council of Ministers; that they will have a real and effective say in the governance of the state and that they will get what is their legitimate due in the state's political processes".
The attitude of the people of Jammu province has changed to the extent that they do not consider the idea of the PDP and the BJP working together subject to the condition that they must devise a common minimum programme before forming coalition government. That their attitude has undergone a radical change can be seen from the fact that hardly any person from Jammu has till date opposed the suggestion that the PDP and the BJP must form the government in the state as they alone have got the mandate to lead the state. Leave aside the defeated NC and Congress leadership which have been opposing the suggestion that the PDP and the BJP should work together and provide a strong and stale government. The bulk of people of Jammu province, in fact, has interpreted the 2014 mandate as a mandate for the PDP and the BJP and opined that "it would be a negation of the mandate if these two parties failed to form the next government in the state".
Their whole formulation is based on the fact that the PDP won 25 seats from Kashmir, as against the NC's tally of 12 and the Congress' tally of 4 and that "it would be an injustice to the people of Kashmir if the PDP remained out of power". As for the BJP, they also hold the same view. They say the BJP won 25 seats in Jammu, as against the Congress' tally of 5, the NC's three and the PDP's 3, it, like the PDP, also cannot be kept out of the government. Their refrain is that since the PDP and the BJP would be evenly balanced in the government, they would evolve and implement policies which are state-centric and not particular region-centric. Indeed, they make a valid point.
The point is that there is almost consensus among the people of Jammu province as far as the political relations between the PDP and the BJP is concerned. Significantly, the PDP leadership and the BJP leadership have appreciated the nature of the mandate. They are likely to form the government anytime from now, may be by February 15. The talks between the two parties are in an advanced stage. In fact, they have already joined hands and this can be seen from the fact that both the PDP and the BJP contested the February 7 Rajya Sabha polls together.
All in all, the people of Jammu province want that the Governor's rule must end sooner than later and the single largest party and the second largest party in the assembly form the government to mitigate the hardships of the people of the state and empower the ignored regions and ignored social groups. At the same time, it needs to be underlined that there are vested interests and communal forces in the Valley who want the PDP to join hands with the NC and the Congress to keep Jammu out of the government, which is unlikely to happen. The PDP will not walk into their trap, as it believes that any move to keep Jammu out of power would only lead to the disintegration of the state. |
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