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| Demand for removing Omar Abdullah gaining momentum | | STARK REALITY-III | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Sept 15: As if the bitter opposition of the BJP, Jammu-based political formations and Panun Kashmir was not enough to upset Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and show him his rightful place, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), instead of endorsing his views on the Army and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) as well as "political package", snubbed him, thus telling him that he had utterly failed to rise to the occasion and tackle the situation. The CCS snubbed him in writing and the snubbing was unequivocal. It could be construed as the New Delhi's no confidence in Omar Abdullah or an indirect hint to him to quit.
That Omar Abdullah is still clinging to the office of Chief Minister is a different matter. It shows that he is prepared to swallow all humiliations in order to retain control over the office he got just by a quirk of history. Had there been anybody else in his place, he would have taken this snubbing as an affront to his self-respect, put in his papers in no time and said goodbye. Perhaps, his apolitical advisors have advised him to swallow the insult and enjoy the loaves and fishes of office as long as he could so that they are also benefitted.
Anyway, what did the official handout say about Omar Abdullah, of course, without naming him and his flop government? The handout was issued after almost 3-hour-long CCS meeting, which was chaired by none other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Expressing distress and deep concern over the style of functioning of Omar Abdullah, the handout accused him of creating governance "deficit" and virtually blamed him for queering the pitch in Kashmir. The handout acknowledged the "trust deficit" between the ruler and the ruled in Jammu and Kashmir on the one hand and between them and New Delhi on the other.
What the official handout said did create an impression across the country that the Union Government was extremely unhappy with Omar Abdullah, that he has only complicated and messed up matters, and that he is just not competent to stem the rot in Kashmir. One just cannot disagree with the views of the CCS.
Indeed the Chief Minister has bungled and created a high wall between Kashmir and New Delhi by his reckless actions and immature statements. He has only aroused popular passions in the Valley through his controversial statements and actions. His political behaviour has never been inspiring. On the contrary, it has been quite questionable. It has all along been questionable because he has been suggesting ways and means to stem the slide no one can endorse. Take, for example, his demands - withdrawal of Army, revocation of AFSPA, rehabilitation package for militants, surrendered or otherwise and dialogue to settle the "external dimension of the Kashmir issue." His demands are no different from the ones being raised by the Kashmiri secessionists.
The fact is that Omar Abdullah never behaved like a Chief Minister behaves. He behaved, and continues to behave, like an opposition leader behaves. People's Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti laid down the dangerous trap by upping the ante and putting forth extreme demands. Omar Abdullah, instead of countering them, went into the trap and raked up issues to establish that he could do more as compared to the opposition leader being in power. In other words, he indulged in the game of one-upmanship: competitive communalism and competitive separatism as opposed to competitive secularism and efficiency.
It's no wonder than that he stands thoroughly isolated, with even the party president and his father Farooq Abdullah not really coming to his rescue. In fact, the relations between the two appear to be far from normal. He has a few supporters in the persons whom he calls his political advisors and the crude, rude and uncouth Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar. It would be too much to say that they are of any use to him. They are not a boon. They have only added to the woes and difficulties of Omar Abdullah.
It can be said that Omar Abdullah may not be able to hold the office of Chief Minister for a long period. Even if New Delhi forgives him and allows him to continue to hold the coveted chair, the common people would not allow him to live in a peaceful environment. There is a consensus that the Chief Minister has outlived his utility and that it is time for him to say goodbye and take political sanyas. Pressure from below is mounting with each passing day and demand for his removal gaining momentum. Not a single factor is in his favour. Each and every factor is against him and his non-performing and controversial government. (Concluded) |
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