news details |
|
|
| Delhi swung solidly behind Army, Omar lost authority to rule | | No Revocation | | Rustam
Jammu, Nov 15: The desperate Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, camped in New Delhi for more than days in order to enlist the support of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranabh Mukharjee, Defence Minister A K Antony, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Army chief General BK Singh and AICC president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in favour of his controversial demand seeking revocation of AFSPA from certain areas in the state. He met with them and put across his point of view. All reports, without any exception, suggest that he came out of his desperate exercise minus everything. The government viewpoint was made public by none other than the Defence Minister who called the Chief Minister's bluff telling reporters that the "issue is very very sensitive" and nothing could be done in haste. "On our side, my opinion is that this being a very very sensitive issue, let us handle it in a mature and cool manner. Considering that the infiltration attempts from across the border are continuing, we have to be very careful 24X7. I can't put any time limit and say when the AFSPA issue would come up at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security".
The virtually rebuffed chief Minister himself acknowledged that he had to work hard for some more time to carry conviction with those who matter in New Delhi and that he would continue his efforts to "narrow" what he called "differences between 'us' and the Army". He was not assertive at all. He was defensive, although he sought to convey an impression that he continues to hold the ground. This was the only line that the defeated Chief Minister could take after he got cold response from almost everyone, including the Home Minister. Media reports clearly suggested that the insisting Chief Minister did not get any positive assurance from anyone. Reports also suggested that the Chief Minister was told to discuss the issue in a meeting of the Unified Headquarters (UHQ). In other words, he was told to back to the body that had rejected out-of-hand his suggestion just six days ago. The case in point is the Army's unwillingness to accommodate the Chief Minister's suggestion.
That the Chief Minister would come out of his desperate exercise minus everything had become clear when the Defence Minister told reporters that it was for the UHQ to take a final call. A day later, the Prime Minister had said almost the same thing. He had said that the decision of the issue had to be "objective" and it must be based on the inputs from the security forces. That he ignored what the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister had candidly said and went all the way from Jammu to New Delhi to take up the issue only indicated the extent of his frustration and desperation. He should have accepted the defeat and fallen in line. By not doing so, he only lowered his position in the eyes of the people and the opposition parties, thus creating for himself an awkward situation. What this is not important. He committed a mistake and he paid for that. What is important is that he has lost whatever credibility he still had till the other day. Who would now listen to him? Who would now give any credence to what he says? He has weakened his position to the extent that no one in the state would take him seriously. The fact is that he has forfeited his moral and political authority to occupy the office whose dignity he himself has lowered by insisting on something that he was not destined to get for obvious reasons.
Any way, what is the meaning of what the Defence Minister said while disclosing what had transpired between him and the Chief Minister during the meeting, held on Sunday? His observation that "on our side, my opinion is that this being a very very sensitive issue, let us handle it in a mature and cool manner" explains everything. This was not a simple observation. It was a scathing attack on the Chief Minister in the sense that the Defence Minister sought to make everyone understand that the Chief Minister had handled the very sensitive issue in an immature manner and that he was in a hurry. As if all this was not enough to show the Chief Minister his rightful place, the Defence Minister further questioned the Chief Minister's approach by referring to the Pakistani evil designs on Jammu and Kashmir. And, his statement that "I can't put any time limit" was a clear message to the Chief Minister that he would do well to give up his insistence on the AFSPA revocation.
This is the situation. Will the Chief Minister quit saying the negative response of New Delhi to his move was an affront to his self-respect? Or, will he continue to cling to the office he has been unsuccessfully holding since January 2009? It appears he would prefer office. But, again, the question is: Will the Congress allow him to continue beyond January 4, 2012? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
