Break up in coalition - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir

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Break up in coalition

Satwant Singh Rissam

6/21/2018 10:28:42 PM

The assembly elections of 2014 in Jammu and Kashmir gave out a fractured verdict. It was somewhere result of campaigning by both People's Democratic Party (PDP) & Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). The PDP at that time campaigned in the entire Kashmir on the grounds that a vote for them would mean keeping the BJP out of Jammu and Kashmir and won 25 seats in Kashmir and 3 seats in Jammu region. Similarly, reminder calls of BJP leaders especially PM Narendra Modi that "kabhi baap-betay ki sarkar, kabhi baap-beti ki sarkar" made the people in Jammu region vote for the BJP and the saffron party won 25 seats. But as results came out all rhetoric's died and after two months of negotiations a coalition between BJP and PDP itself was formed. This moment added to Jammu and Kashmir's long history where the parties in J&K state allied with the party in power at the centre (in 2002 PDP tied up with the Congress and in 2008 the National Conference tied up with Congress). The former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed called this PDP-BJP coalition the "meeting of the north and south pole". The reason outlined by the late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to form coalition with the BJP was an opportunity to bridge the gap between the people of Jammu and Kashmir regions. Although, these ideological opposites met but they both moved on only with help of a document called the 'agenda of alliance'. Like many, I too was stunned to see that coalition and for me election results reflected the divide between the two regions as both regions voted against each other. Many called this coalition a dishonest one and predicted that it was never going to work.
In past 3 years everything wasn't normal for PDP- BJP and both were under intense pressure to preserve the state government. Both these parties tried to prove in their respective regions that they haven't given up on their agenda of bridging the gap between both regions. Meanwhile, the PDP's stronghold South Kashmir in these years saw so much unrest after killing of Burhan Wani and almost every day gunfight between militants and security forces took place in other areas of the Kashmir region. Moreover, several workers of the PDP were also shot dead. With this all, the promise of bringing peace to the valley by PDP never became reality. Recently, the PDP suffered alot in the valley when BJP ministers attended rallies of the Hindu Ekta Manch demanding a CBI investigation into Kathua rape and murder case. However, the sacking of the two ministers (Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga) of BJP from cabinet was projected by PDP as a pacifying step but when the Kathua MLA Rajiv Jasrotia (involved in the Kathua controversy) was brought into cabinet by BJP the peacemaking efforts didn't pay much for PDP. In addition to it, things didn't become smooth for PDP because ever since Lal Singh was out of cabinet he started a full time campaign (appears to have support of party because senior leadership has fallen silent) by organizing 'Dogra Swabhiman' rallies and was demanding CBI inquiry into Kathua case even though accused has been arrested & the law should have been allowed to follow its course. Let's not also forget the case within Kathua case i.e. when brother of Lal Singh was arrested for abusing Mehbooba Mufti during rally organized by Lal Singh for demanding CBI inquiry. Incidentally, all the steps taken by Lal Singh didn't go well with PDP cadre in Kashmir. Furthermore, the new deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta after assuming charge spoke of Kathua case being a "small incident" added to the anger of Kashmir people against PDP. This role played by BJP and its ministers somewhere deepened the divide in the allies.
On the other hand, the situation was same for BJP in the Jammu region as BJP too suffered ever since this coalition was formed. BJP gave out many signals that showed that it was just playing a second-fiddle role in the government. Many times the PDP in the state government took decisions on issues (like setting up of new medical and technical institutions should be set up in Jammu or in Kashmir) which proved terrible for the BJP in Jammu. After seeing all this in past 3 years, the BJP's cadre was angry and felt that BJP was not in a position to assert itself in the government. Officially, many times I saw the BJP's functionaries defending the coalition in spite of the fact that BJP failed to end perceived domination of Kashmir over Jammu. Not to forget that the Rohingya refugees issue in Jammu also exposed the intention of BJP as nothing much happened in last 4 years of centre government. I feel that the BJP failed in its goals as even the promises of development and employment are nowhere visible on ground. While so much was happening yet the BJP preferred to stay silent.
This all was witnessed till 19th June of 2018 as BJP suddenly pulled out of the Mehbooba Mufti government and governor rule was implemented. This decision of BJP could be entirely to regain ground in Jammu and Kashmir and across country before 2019 general elections. Now the PDP is left in crisis as it has been alienated by its ally as well as by its voters in south Kashmir. After the killings of Shujaat Bukhari, rifleman Aurangzeb and failure of ceasefire initiative it was proved that all those who wanted to give peace a chance failed completely. The whole state of J&K is seeing some of its worst years since the 1990's as a very different kind of politics after 2014 created deep polarization in the two regions. Both parties lost public goodwill and to save itself from further loss BJP withdrew from this coalition after 3 years. Both the coalition partners in this time of conflict are now in a cover-up mode by giving various explanations of this separation. After all these years, the coalition between the PDP and BJP didn't make any sense and only made Jammu and Kashmir more vulnerable.

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