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| 100 days…and this is just beginning | | Omar has a vision but alas this is J&K | |
ZAFAR CHOUDHARY
Jammu, Apr 12: First day in top chamber of civil secretariat, on January 9 when the youngest Chief Minister Omar Abdullah talked about his ‘100-day’ model to set tone for governance in next 69 months, his plain, crisp and sweet talk was highly appreciated by his bureaucrat audience but the 100-day model still remain an illusion as the National Conference-Congress coalition completes three months in office.
Widely respected and read London based Sunday Observer has noted that 39 years old Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister has a vision though he has had only 100 days in office. When Omar Abdullah moved into office of Chief Minister there was very little to doubt about his experience as he was a Union Minister ten years ago but the difference millions, particularly youth, had hoped is yet to show though hopes are still intact as its been just 100 days.
Jammu and Kashmir is a difficult state to keep the promises and translate the visions, the one like Omar has, but there are few things which need to come from top and percolate down to bottom. Vision and agenda is one such thing which the leadership sets and team follows.
In his first meeting with the administrative secretaries on January 9, Omar Abdullah told them “to formulate agenda for the first 100 days of the coalition Government to set the tone for the governance for the six years of its tenure”. Bureaucracy in Jammu and Kashmir is quite obedient and faithful to the political leadership but talk in the secretariat next day was audible: “if bureaucrats had to set agenda in 100 days to be followed for next six years then they were doing it well in the Governor’s administration”.
This is nothing to dispute the Sunday Observer’s opinion that Omar Abdullah has a vision but if he had wanted to put in place in 100 days a model of governance for next six years then Jammu and Kashmir probably lacks the climate for such an experiment. Administrative secretaries are still sifting through the previous files to formulate a plan which they or their predecessors did years back.
A handout issued by the National Conference has today listed a dozen odd projects –like Srinagar airport and the Kashmir rail-line –to underscore efficient governance of the coalition but understandably some of these projects were initiated during the times of previous generation. Omar could have done wonders but if the operational conditions were out of Jammu and Kashmir.
The first and foremost spoiler in the way of Omar translating his vision was apparently an uncomfortable alliance with an arrogant partner and wide gaps between party and the government. Chief Minister’s first month in office (or out of office) went off in generating appreciation of people and places in the new system and the second month got consumed up in managing the Rajya Sabha elections. The third month saw huge politics of Legislative Council elections and then came the Lok Sabha elections which currently have the dust kicking in the air. The National Conference handout rightly puts it: “and this is just a beginning…”
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