Dr. Gopal Parthasarthi Sharma
An exceedingly successful Jammu Bandh last week may have given some hope to the recently rejected politicians but the fact remains that the issues for which this bandh was observed are pending for a long time and there seems to be no resolution in the immediate future. The most interesting part of this ‘gala performance’ is not the sight of deserted bazaars when the country’s home minister visited the city but the role reversal of players of this Great Drama. This was for the first time that Bandh was observed against those who were champions of this “bandh culture” in Jammu region and even more interesting is the fact that those who spearheaded this bandh call were always on the receiving end. Isn’t it amusing that the defendants have become aggressors and vice versa while the public remains at the judging position as spectators.
The Artificial Lake issue is there right from the time of Maharajas and the Congress party did nothing to get this project through in the last more than six decades. Whatever headway was made in this direction was not transparent at all as the project was planned and partially executed at snail’s pace to benefit certain politicians and their agendas. The stories related to the ongoing project are in the public domain and people know how Jammu leaders proved as weaklings when the project was reduced to a miniature of what it was originally conceived. People know who owns vast land chunks around the Lake project and who were offered freebies for keeping shut on the issue. In the Act I of this drama BJP leadership was the most audible actors on the issue and demanded a “fair play” and criticized the whole project while the Congress leadership defended all its action/inaction on the issue.
Now in the Act II of this drama with the controversial remarks of the Chief Minister about “shelving” the project for reasons best known to him, the whole stage has turned turtle. The same BJP and its allies are on the receiving end and showing fake aggression to save their reputation. They are shying away from contradicting the Chief Minister on the issue as for them continuance in the government is more important than a couple of such issues. It’s the opportunity time for the erstwhile rulers as the Congress and its allies are showing a newly found love for Jammu region. While they are dodging questions about their own past performance, they are demanding answers from the BJP and calling present scenario as a total “sell out”. It’s amusing to see the ease with which both the groups are embracing the new roles and associated language.
The AIIMS issue is not an exception to this role reversal phenomenon as it is the same congress that remained a mute spectator while AIIMS facility meant for Jammu was reduced to super specialty hospital under its regime. They played the second fiddle role to the valley based parties that they are now ascribing BJP with vis-à-vis the alliance partner PDP. Quite interestingly, BJP has just picked up its detractor’s earlier script in justifying its own inaction on the subject while the congress camp has picked up the aggression that was earlier a domain of the saffron party. While the BJP is busy projecting itself as a secular and all-inclusive party the Congress team is now projecting itself as a staunch supporter of Jammu region and quite stealthily picking up the regional/communal line. Basic script for the drama remains the same but the actors have changed sides in the latest version. It’s really amusing that the public has no doubts about the sincerity or otherwise of these political actors as they know the real worth of its leaders across parties and just as a good audience is offering ‘big round of applause’ for these actors.
BJP used to give Bandh Calls on these issues and Congress leaders used to be the storytellers justifying their stand and the BJP refused to accept the storyline. Now they are themselves using the same old stories of inclusive governance, inter-regional balances, practical aspects, coalition compulsions, administrative constraints, taking all on-board etc and quite interestingly now it’s the congress party that is refusing to accept the same old stories that they used to propagate themselves. The most striking fact is the shamelessness with which these actors are playing their parts; they are damn professionals with no remorse, no conscious pricks, and no justification for such a major shift in their ideology.
After this bewildering debacle in their Jammu city stronghold the ruling party must have understood the meaning of the age old adage “only wearer knows where the shoe pinches”. The opposition will certainly require a more shame proof stance as they will have to analyze their own performance on these issues in the last so many decades when they were in power. Before boasting of their newly found ‘enlightenment’ for the welfare of the Jammu region they must answer their critics on the blunders that they’ve done in the past. They must offer the logic under which they are demanding such things that they themselves denied to this region. Both the groups will certainly understand that such issues require a fair degree of intelligence rather than making public mockery of such issues. Its easy to give bandh calls on any petty issue but resolving the same issue requires an acumen that both the parties seem to have been lacking. Notwithstanding this rationality, they will still keep on countering each other in their new roles.
This is my opinion that the majority of those who kept their establishments closed on the drama day hardly had any soft feelings for either of the artist camps. They know both the groups as well as individual artists for their acts of deceit, and insincerity. Most of them simply took a day off from their busy lives and enjoyed the day thinking that things will fall in line when they actually have to without any intervention of either of the two camps. They will hardly remember these issues in next elections and would be impacted by some bigger drama of that time.
As public we will keep on watching their buffoonery and shrewdness on all such issues. However, we hope that good sense prevails and instead of public showdown our politicians learn to solve issues in a more pragmatic way through planning and discussion. Instead of telling people what is possible and what is not possible they have been spreading all sorts of lies without being ashamed of their own U-turns.
Let them score the brownie points on every unresolved issue but as commoners we will always look forward for yet another opportunity to have an optional off on an extreme weather day giving hope to those out of power and a sleepless night to those in power. About pending issues we still believe in the Almighty because it’s only the Almighty who runs this state rest everything is simply the “Great Drama”.
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