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| Settling Score with PDP? | | Azad's 'solidarity' on Omar's stand on Yousuf's death intriguing | | Neha
Jammu, Oct 6: Union Health Minister and former J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday sprung a big surprise. He took a stand on the ongoing fierce controversy over the circumstances leading to the death of NC worker and a close associate of NC president Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Haji Syed Mohammad Yousuf, in mysterious circumstances, which appears quite intriguing in the prevailing environment. In fact, he swung solidly behind the beleaguered Omar Abdullah and urged the opposition parties to endorse the Chief Minister's suggestion that a judicial probe into the matter that has created a volcanic situation in the already restive Kashmir Valley by a sitting High Court Judge is the best way to unravel the truth and it should be "acceptable" to the opposition parties.
In other words, Azad practically took on those in the Valley and outside, particularly the PDP, which has made resignation of Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Minister of State for Home Affairs and a very close lieutenant of the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani the cornerstone of its campaign across the Kashmir Valley. To be more precise, Azad rejected outright the suggestion of the PDP and similar other outfits that if a fair and impartial probe is to held in the circumstances leading to death of Yousuf and responsibility fixed, then Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Aslam Wani, who are holding high offices and are in a position to influence the probe and "bribe or blackmail witnesses", have to resign forthwith in the "interest of justice".
Significantly, the standpoint of family members of the deceased is also identical. In fact, they have gone a step further and directly accused the Chief Minister of hatching a criminal conspiracy aimed at liquidating Yousuf who, according to them, was privy to many things and that had he spilled beans, the Abdullah family would have been in a major trouble. But more than that, the family members of Yousuf have rejected out-of-hand the preliminary post mortem report that suggested that Yousuf died of heart attack, expressed no-confidence in the Chief Minister and repudiated outright his suggestion of a judicial probe and demanded a CBI inquiry. The startling revelations made yesterday by another NC worker Abdul Salam Reshi while talking to Times Now have further vindicated the PDP and the members of the bereaved family that the Chief Minister and his men were responsible for what they call "murder" of Yousus. Reshi, who himself had paid Rs 34 lakh to Yousuf to become MLC, among other things, told Times Now that "Haji Syed Mohammad Yousuf had reached Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's residence on Thursday (September 29) in good health but his condition had worsened after he was taken to a room for half an hour by CM's advisor, Devinder Rana, Mos Home Nasir Aslam Sogami and IGP Crime Raja Aijaz Ali".
The message of the members of the bereaved family, like the message of the PDP, is loud and clear and their message is that they would not accept anything short of the Chief Minister's head and CBI investigation.
Azad is a senior and seasoned politician. He has spent most of his time outside the state and served the union government and the Congress party in various capacities. He has the required experience. It was expected that he would not take sides and remain neutral taking into account the developments as they have been unfolding in the state since September 30 as well as the sentiments of the members of the bereaved family. But he thought otherwise and left none in any doubt that he is with the Chief Minister and his father, who are passing through a very critical phase and likely to face the people's ire on an unprecedented scale. The process started yesterday when hundreds of people held demonstrations in Kashmir and demanded resignation of the Chief Minister and others.
What could be the reason behind Azad's unstinted support to the Chief Minister's suggestion, which has been rejected by the main opposition PDP, as also by the members of the bereaved family? Is he settling score with the PDP, which had in June 2008 withdrawn support to his government? Or, is he thinking in terms of creating for himself an environment in the state that induces the cornered NC leadership to abdicate power in favour of Azad? One cannot really give definite answers to these three simple and straight questions. But, at the same time, it is difficult to say that Azad is averse to the idea of taking over from the NC if the situation in the state in general and Kashmir Valley in particular worsens further and there are cogent reasons to believe that the situation would worsen to the extent that it would become extremely difficult for the Abdullah family to weather the storm. Azad would definitely like to come back to the state if he is asked to lead the state.
One thing, however, is clear: Azad has not displayed political sagacity by taking sides. It is for Azad to clear the confusion he has created by not remaining neutral. |
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