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| Omar Abdullah's 3 years in office : Is there any thing to cheer on ? | | | SHAFIQ MIR | 12/31/2011 12:25:33 AM |
| Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had taken oath of his office on 5th of January 2009. At national level, he was declared as youngest chief minister of India till 2009. And people had expected
lot from him at national as well as domestic level, but as per his three years term there seems nothing to cheer on. As per his date of oath, Omar Abdullah will complete his three years in office on 5th of January 2012 which is only six days away when I was writing this column . On his installation as youngest chief minister, some of the observers were of the opinion that the strategists of Congress at National level, in fact, wanted to pave the way for Rahul Gandhi as next young Prime Minister of India . And Omar was put in a lab to test the capabilities and qualities of young leaders if given responsibility . But I don't agree with this view as there was no comparison between Omar and Rahul because running the affairs of a state having population of only one crore is quite different to run the affairs of the country having population of more than 100 crores.
Baring few forces, mostly his personal friends, there was no consensus on Omar's leadership . However, Rahul Gandhi supported him for some time not because Omar was politically important for him but due to the influence of Sachin pilot and others who are family friends of Abdullahs.
However, here at domestic level, Omar Abdullah was projected differently by his volunteer followers and traditional National Conference workers who are known loyal of Abdullah family instead of being political workers . The NC workers and followers had projected him ( Omar) as "Mr clean", man of the word and tough administrator . Not only this, even his political managers and projectors had started saying that Omar had some resemblance with his grand father late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. But his three years tenure suggests that all claims made by his followers about him were totally false and a propaganda. Instead, the period he headed the state has given many negatives in his credit . For instance, what ever the reason might had been, about 120 civilians have been killed during his tenure in 2010 .And Omar is still unable to explain that as to how the civilians were killed though they were labeled as stone palters. Being head of the state Omar can not escape from the responsibility . Most of the period of his three years tenure has witnessed only curfews, which is sufficient proof of unrest in the state during his period . He failed to curb the corruption in the state despite being projected as "Mr clean". These are some of the issues to hunt him through out his political life if failed to make any drastic change in the coming years of his tenure if given . Let us see whether he has proved what he was projected as, and what are his achievements being an administrator and politician. Let us start from the clean image given to him by his followers . I don't want to comment on his personal approach in the public life . But being a head of the state it doesn't matter that whether the person
heading the state is personally clean or not . Here, it counts that
how much clean is the system under the leadership of a person who is said to be Mr clean and etc . The wrong doing of a lower rank clerk
and Patwaari goes also in to the credit of head of the state and it shows the grip of the head of the state on his subordinates . Every one knows Jammu and Kashmir has been declared as 2nd most corrupt state in India not at social level but at administrative level . But, the person who was projected as Mr clean has not done any effort to bring out his state from this bad name and black spot. Even the corruption has reached to its alarming stage in the state of Jammu and Kashmir during the past three years of his tenure. There are large scale allegations of corruption and land grabbing against some members of his council of ministers, but he had not initiated even an investigation against any of the minister and is rubbing shoulders
with them that too publically. It shows that the tainted people in the system have full patronage of the person projected as Mr clean . Secondly, it also questions that administrative capability of the young chief minister who always shies from his cabinet colleagues . During his three years tenure, there is not any single instance where the chief minister would have taken any tough decision which would have proved his administrative capability . For instance, in the first three years of previous coalition led by Mufti Mohammad Sayed, Mufti had terminated dozens of such officers who were known corrupt and they were declared dead wood and shunted out . Though, the full justice was not done at that time too, but the beginning had sent out a strong message that the corrupt are short lived . Mufti was also heading the similar coalition, even his position was weak as he had only 13 members and Congress was stronger in numbers . But when he took decision no body dared to question him . Thirdly, Omar was projected as man of the word. It means he says only thing what he can do . I don't think Omar has done anything what he had promised in his election manifesto except making a strong RTI act in the state of Jammu and Kashmir . No doubt he can be credited of giving strong RTI act to the state of Jammu and Kashmir . But at the same time there are many instances where he deviated from his announced stands . For
instance, before Panchayet elections , Omar had been saying that he would give all powers to the JK Panchayets and will transfer the powers at grass root level . But later he deviated from his stand an is silent about his promise now . Similarly, in the past few months, Omar had been speaking in favor of withdrawing AFSPA from the state , but now he has kept silence despite having all powers to withdraw it unilaterally . Any way, Omar has completed his three years in power as head of the coalition government and is expecting more three years for which a group of Congress leaders in the state is opposing . Let us see what he has done in the past three years and what he wants to do in the following three years for which he is struggling . The first year of his power, 2009 was by and large consumed by Shopian protests and the following 2010 was consumed by Kashmir street protests which had erupted after the killing of three civilians at Rafiabadd forests by army in a fake encounter . During these protests, for some time the state was seen as out of control and home secretary of the country G K Pillai had almost taken over the reigns of the state and he had issued many press statements where in he used to brief the media about the timing of imposing and lifting curfew in Srinagar city . This action of the Home secretary had also put question mark on administrative capability of the chief minister . The third year, 2011 is also empty in any sort of special achievement . Political observers is of the opinion that Omar's urge to have more three years is also admission of the fact that he wants to do something in the coming three years because he knows that he could not do any thing in the previous three years in power . And there are chances of his continuation because the centre sees him as the most perfect person who doesn't take any confrontation with the centre and gets agreed on each issue as desired by centre . So, in short, there is noting in his credit to cheer on as the chief minister of the state for the period of three years . However, there is only one achievement of his three years tenure, theRTI act he has given to the state of Jammu and Kashmir as per his promise and this is the only achievement of his tenure he can cheer on.
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