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| 1984 & after: Time teaches flexibility | | |
NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
Jammu, Jan 3: Since 1996 election the ruling party or the parties in Jammu and Kashmir have learnt that it is difficult for them to survive in confrontation with the central Government. As far as the National Conference Party is concerned its patron, Dr Farooq Abdullah, was installed as Chief Minister in 1982 with the help of the then central Government. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had preferred him to GM Shah who was getting ready to be sworn in as the Chief Minister after the demise of his father-in-law, Sheikh Abdullah. In fact Indira Gandhi had conveyed to Thakur Devi Dass, who was then the Finance Minister, to take Farooq Abdullah to the Raj Bhawan where he should be sworn in as the new Chief Minister. The Sheikh's body lay in the Pologrounds for enabling Kashmiris, who had loved and respected Sheikh Abdullah for 50 years, to pay homage to the departed leader. Thakur led Farooq to the Raj Bhawan during late evening hours where he was sworn in as Chief Minister. Unfortunately close associates of Farooq Abdullah had advised the Chief Minister that if he wanted a clear victory for the National Conference in the Assembly election in 1983 he should adopt anti-centre postures. He did it. The National Conference won the election.
This anti-centre postures proved costly for Farooq Abdullah. The Congress leadership engineered defections within the National Conference which led to the fall of the duly elected Government led by Farooq Abdullah. It was none other than the brother-in-law of Farooq who revolted against Farooq by carrying 13 NC MLAs with him to become the Chief Minister. Farooq then had become wiser after the events. He had realised that once the state Government acted in confrontation with the centre the state like Jammu and Kashmir feels the pinch of financial stringency. Good relations with the centre had enabled PDP-Congress Government to open nearly 32 degree colleges within a span of five years. It was during this period that the most difficult task of extending the railway services to the valley was completed. If Ghulam Nabi Azad has been saying that the state witnessed development during the last five years which had not been experienced during the last 50 years, he is correct but this was possible because of liberal financial assistance from the centre. The National Conference wants to take lesson from it. When in 1986 he was offered hand by Rajiv Gandhi he willingly grabbed his palm resulting in Rajiv-Farooq accord. And when he regained power in 1996 he had announced that the state Government cannot survive without the financial and political support from the centre. and between 1996 and 2002 he saw to it that he remained by the right side of the central Government, irrespective of the party that is in power in Delhi. This very idea had brought him closer to the BJP led NDA Government. He even agreed to the then Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's suggestion that Omar Abdullah join the union council of ministers. Vajpayee was so much impressed with the performance of Omar, who was then just 29, that he was shifted from commerce to the External Affairs ministry. And when Omar decided to quit the Government Vajpayee accepted his resignation unwillingly.
It is this lesson that Farooq Abdullah has not forgotten. No doubt his relations with the Congress high command had come under strain during the last 10 years he willingly grabbed the opportunity of forging an alliance with the Congress. No doubt he agreed to form a coalition Government with the Congress on the terms and conditions set by the party high command for the purpose of seeing the PDP out of power, his bigger aim was to get more funds from the centre for the development of the state. He had realized that during the time the PDP shared power with the Congress the centre had opened the strings of its purse which resulted in the completion of series of development projects. It could not have been possible for the state. One should not feel surprised if Farooq Abdullah would be seen by the right side of the union Government even if it is headed by the BJP. Here lies his quality of being flexible, of being a believer in political pragmatism.
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