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| Last to decide on poll participation, PDP first to release poll manifesto | | | NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
JAMMU, Oct 31: The PDP was the last party to decide on its participation in the ensuing Assembly election.It was the first organisation to release its poll manifesto.Those parties which had announced its decision to contest election months ago were still battling for words and ideas while giving shape to their poll manifesto.And if the PDP has released its poll manifesto on the day it announced its desire to contest the election clearly indicates that the party leadership had never thought of remaining away from the poll process.But it plotted to plot a story which could convince a section of people that the PDP may stay away from the poll process.And when a meeting of the heads of the district units of the party and other senior leaders was convened in Srinagar the majority of these leaders had opposed participation in the election on the ground that the atmosphere was not conducive for the election.And those who are not prepared to buy PDP's unwillingness story argue that had it not been keen to contest the election why did it choose the post-poll announcement as the right time for releaing the documnet on self-rule?It indicates that the party had already cast the dice in favour of participation in election but it was either waiting for some concession from the centre or building a sympathy wave for it.
A party that is not sure to participate in the poll process cannot decide it in a day and then release the poll manifesto on the same day.While announcing its deision to take part in the election the PDP leadership has said that the decision was the outcome of its desire to "fight the system within."Which system it plans to fight against? This has not been made clear.Does the party want to fight the system under which Kashmir continues to be part of India ?Does the PDP wish to fight against forces of terrorism ?Does it want to fight those forces that do not favour joint management or demilitarisation or improved trade and travel between people on either side of the LOC ?Or does it want to fight elements that create hurdles in the settlement of the Kshmir issue?Or does it plan to wage a war against those who do not support PDP's bid for power?Yes,I remember when several political leaders,who are now heading the separatists conested the election in 1987 they too had stated that they would rake up the Kashmir issue on the floor of the Assembly.Of all the people Syed Ali Shah Geelani had stated,in 1983 and 1987 election,that he was contesing the election to create a situaton which could force the Assembly to adopt a resolution favouring immediate settlement of the Kashmir issue.He and his colleagues had raised the Kashmir issue but had failed to get a resolution adopted favouring independence of Kashmir or its incorpotation with Pakistan or for implementing the UN resolution on Kashmir.
Despite the fact that the PDP has announced its decision to contest the election its leadership continues to hold to its views that "the current atnosphere is not conducive for the political and the poll process."It says notwithstanding this unsavoury scenario it is committed to a cause for fighting the system within." While claiming success in fighting the system during three years it headed the Government,it says that more success could have been achieved had there been no constraints of the coalition Dharma.In short the PDP,as was expected,has made the self-rule concept as the main agenda in its poll manifesto adding that "let us make self-rule happen together with good governance and development agenda."Credit must be given to the PDP on its decision to take part in the poll process despite being faced with severe odds and its failure to see its demand for demlitarisation and confidence building measures for removing peoples' alienation being conceded by the Government. |
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