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| Azad playing development, employment card to counter communal card being played by rivals, to win elections | | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | June 23
News Analysis
Unmindful of the communal divide and religious hatred being unleashed by the secessionists and Islamic fundamentalists in Kashmir, with their equal backlash by some Hindu organizations in Jammu, with the junior coalition partner of the Congress in the government, i.e. PDP and the main opposition party National Conference joining hands with the Muslim communalists in Kashmir, to appease them and win their votes in the forthcoming elections, the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is playing the development card to counter the moves at creating communal divide by the rival parties as a means to win the next election for the Congress in the state.
As if the high pitched propaganda and campaign launched by the separatists in Kashmir, with the National Conference and PDP joining their bandwagon, is a futile exercise not going to pay any dividends to them in the elections, instead of challenging them on their turf and even giving befitting reply to them exposing their game plan, Azad is chanting the matra of development and employment to the unemployed youth. The Chief Minister along with the Pradesh Party President Saifuddin Soz hardly touch the controversy let loose by the secessionists and the communal elements in Kashmir, who are joined in this nefarious design by the opposition NC and Congress coalition partner in the government, PDP either about the transfer of 800 kanals of land by his government to the SASB or to the wolf cry of a conspiracy to change the demographic character of Muslim majority, Kashmir, in their public meetings held at various parts of the state virtually blowing election bugle, the Chief Minister Azad and the Pradesh Party President, Saifuddin Soz do not at all refer to these contentious issues and if at all the same gets any mention, it gets only a passing reference. Their main thrust in the public meetings, including the mammoth one held at Udampur on June 22, of two top Congress leaders in the state, the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Pradesh Party President, Saifuddin Soz has been on the achievement of the government on the development front as well as providing jobs to the youth. Both Azad and Soz have been seeking votes and people's mandate to come to power again, to complete their agenda of carrying on tremendous development of J&K and putting it on the path of prosperous---"Kushhal" Jammu and Kashmir.
On the other hand the Azad government is busy in liberally offering jobs to the unemployed youth. While all the vacancies kept pending for last 4 to 5 years, in various departments are being filled through fast track recruitment process, thousands of new jobs are being created. There are reports that as an election eve sop around 60,000 youth are going to be engaged as daily waged workers in various departments on a consolidated salary of Rs 2100 per month. According to reliable sources in the administration a select group of ministers and senior officials attended a high level meeting convened by the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at his residence at Srinagar, last Tuesday, to workout the modalities of this pre poll employment package. These 60,000 unemployed youth, according to the sources will be engaged as daily wagers in R&B, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Rural Development, Power Development, Housing and Urban Development and Social Welfare Departments. This pre poll employment package is estimated to cost the public exchequer Rs 1.50 crore per month. Instead of adopting a proper recruitment process for engagement of these daily wagers, the same is going to be entrusted to the legislators belonging to the coalition parties, with each coalition legislator getting a share of recruiting 1000 daily wagers. However these jobs offer to the youth will be only for 4 to 5 months, till the election process completes.
How far this card being played by the Chief Minister to win the next elections will pay the Congress is to be seen. Even if this pays electoral dividends to the Congress, along with its share to the PDP, the latter also garnering votes on the bases of communal divide and communal frenzy created in Kashmir, to win the favour of separatists and Islamic fundamentalists, the question arises as to what cost shall have to be paid by the political parties to win the elections. The permanent harms caused to the secular fabric and communal brotherhood in the state will be enormous, having the potential to leave a permanent trail behind, for a long time to recover the same. |
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