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| Azad-The pride of India | | EDITORIAL | |
J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, on his arrival in USA, to attend
a conference of the Muslim community of Indian origin there, was given
a standing ovation and awarded the title of "Pride of India." He well
deserves the title for upholding Indian nationalism in Jammu and
Kashmir under the present environ of separatism ruling the roost in
the Kashmir valley. Under the present political scenario in Kashmir
Azad is the best bet for India. In his recent interview to Sheikhar
Gupta in the walk and talk program for the NDTV, Mr. Azad called a
spade a spade by asserting that unlike many other politicians of Jammu
and Kashmir, who talk in different languages, one in the valley, other
in the Jammu and still other in Delhi or other parts of the country,
he speaks the same language everywhere. At a time when majority of the
politicians in J&K, belonging to the Muslim community would not muster
courage to say anything which offends the separatists, Ghulam Nabi
Azad has the guts to give statements unpalatable to the separatists,
but which go to strengthen national integration and country's cause.
He minces no words in openly opposing and ridiculing the hollow slogan
of self rule and demilitarization raised by his coalition partner in
his government, PDP. Ghulam Nabi Azad firmly believes J&K to be an
integral part of India and the accession of the state with the Indian
union being final and irrevocable. While asserting these ideological
commitments of his own as well as of his party, Azad has the
capability and capacity to carry on the fence sitters between the main
stream politicians and separatists, with him, while at the same time
dealing firmly with the secessionists. While he has been successfully
carrying on the burden on his shoulders of the liability of PDP in his
coalition government, as a necessary evil under the given political
compulsions in J&K, Azad has maintained best of relations with the
main opposition party in the state, the National Conference. He has
highly cordial relations and a close rapport with NC patron, the
former chief Minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah and his son Omer Abdullah,
the President of the National Conference. The latter have made no
secret of their being always ready to come to the rescue of Azad
government and bail it out, in case his main coalition partner PDP
pulls its rugs under the feet. This gives immense confidence to Azad
to steer the boat across the shores in the stormy waters in the J&K
rivers. On the administrative front as he spelled out in his
interview, Azad is the first Chief Minister having guts to take some
hard decisions which can be unpleasant to the bureaucracy and even to
the politicians. On the political front the act passed by the State
Legislature providing a ceiling of 20 percent of the total number of
legislators as the size of the ministry, is a great achievement. On
the administrative front his crusade against corruption, by amending
the anti corruption law, providing for confiscating of the property
accumulated by the corrupt through under hand means, is unparallel.
Not only the law is made in this regard, but the same has been
enforced by practically confiscating the illegally earned property of
a dozen officials. Still another feather in the cap of Azad on
administrative front is the introduction of work culture, which was
totally missing in the state. Besides increasing the working hours in
the offices, the introduction of double shift system to expedite the
completion of important projects in a record time is no mean
achievement.
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