Shiban Khaibri
Ludicrous as much as illogical appears the argument that for all the ills faced by the State Government and consequently problems by the people, the real villain is the coalition politics. We see open squabbling inter – se, indulged in by both the coalition partners in the Government of our state; it looks interesting, however, to observe that only at the fag end of the cozy comforts of the coalition enjoyed by both the parties, they should take on one another openly. The idea is to shift blame for bad governance and finding thus an alibi for various omissions and commissions.
It is interesting to note that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has undergone a paradigm shift in his views about the coalition politics by saying that if the Centre and the states like Maharashtra, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh could have one party rule, Jammu and Kashmir also urgently needed one party rule. He goes on to say, “Coalitions have inflicted damage to the state”. Omar Abdullah therefore argues that coalition era should “come to an end now”. He puts forth political sagacity in his own stead that the elections should “throw single Party rule.” What has this change of political thinking been due to is the fundamental question and again, did he feel it so late and why? There seems to be an undercurrent and a veiled admission by him for not having been, perhaps, in a position to come up to the expectations of the people who elected this coalition to power presided over by him as the CM, the most powerful office in any Indian state. He talks about the “damages inflicted on the state” due to the coalition politics without listing out those damages and his role as the Head of the Government to prevent those damages from striking our state. He is undoubtedly appearing to be susceptible of getting swayed by the fact of how to face and perform in the elections going to be toughest for him and his Party as also for the Congress, while it appears to be all smooth and surmountable by the BJP and the PDP between whom the fight and the contest at many places shall be interesting. Why does it appear to Mr. Abdullah to be too trying to take it on, this time?
It is also interesting to note that his much liked Ex- Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh too was attributing to the “coalition Dharma” all the administrative failures, non taking of decisions, no enforcing of probity and scam free governance, inability to fight unemployment and inflation etc. This all like Omar, Dr. Singh started saying, past the middle of the UPA2 when 2014 general elections were knocking at the doors. With the same coalition in mind, rather ready even to widen it to resolve an expected less favourable electoral results of 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Dr. Singh sold the dream to voters that he would bring about a turnaround in the Indian economy in just 100 days to usher in an era of all round economic prosperity in case UPA2 was returned to power. When asked many hundred days past “returned to power” as to why be the economy in such a mess, prompt came his reply “I do not have a magic wand”. People rejected the hypothesis of coalition Dharma and the elusive magic wand, terming these just an alibi and a ruse only to remain in power, and hence decided to penalize and vote against the UPA2 in 2014 elections in such a way that Congress lost the status of even staking the claim for the post of the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. The coalition partners too were virtually routed. Performance alone is what people wanted from the government was the inherent message of each vote cast.
The corollary, therefore, is as to who was going to be hoodwinked or at least convinced by such rhetoric of Omar Abdullah even if articulated and spun by wizardly “wisdom”? Each of the coalition partners pleads all clean and innocent, perhaps to appeal to voters to “keep them in mind” in the ensuing Assembly elections. Irrelevant excuses can fairly be seen through by the people who want a balance sheet of six years performance from the coalition in respect of economic development, fighting unemployment, tackling cases of corruption, fighting inflation and adulteration and most of the people are least bothered about how much could Omar Abdullah outwit PDP in trying to bluff the Central Government headed by Narindra Modi for initiating “talks with Pakistan to resolve the so called Kashmir issue”. The people seem to be least impressed by a resolution passed in the state Assembly about regretting over cancellation of talks with Pakistan and a strong urge to the central government to restart talks with Pakistan. The avoidable diatribe used against Mr Modi and the BJP in run up to the Lok Sabha elections by the father son combined, jointly and severally, followed by “keeping a distance” from PM Modi and the body language demonstrated by Omar Abdullah at the time of flagging of the train from Katra to Udhampur in July this year, could not endear him anymore with the people. His boastful remarks that he would ” not shake hands with the BJP even from a distance” either cannot guarantee him any sizeable fortunes in the state Assembly polls . It is not good for the electoral health of the NC to abdicate the family bastion of Ganderbal seat by Abdullah(s) for obvious reasons as Omar Abdullah is apprehensive about “don’t know the shape of things to come” in the expectedly toughest elections ever going to be witnessed in the state. .
It is noteworthy that the size and the volume of the separatists and Aazadi mongers in the valley was getting smaller day by day as perhaps some of them are trying to adopt the democratic process and get into the national mainstream. Peoples conference has made public at least 18 candidates in the first list going to contest elections to the state Assembly. One of the main architects of the shaping and founding of the Hurriyat Conference was Peoples’ Conference chief Gani Lone who was later assassinated. Noteworthy development is the invigorative participation of the BJP in electoral battle in the valley. They may not fare as per expectations but the world shall see that the Party has considerable following even in the valley under the very nose of pro-Pakistan separatists. Hence blackmailing sort of politics with New Delhi is getting lesser in scope to yield any results, the chant of “talks with Pakistan and CBMs” etc destined to get into the realms of irrelevance.
Last but not the least, Omar Abdullah had enough influence both with Rahul Gandhi and Smt. Sonia Gandhi and he could have made his coalition partners perform as he wished in a way as if there was no coalition by way of invoking pressures and pulls from “Congress high command”. Did he do that? Had he the political will and the assertive courage? In case he would have not succeeded in his efforts, he should have resigned to create example of political proprietary. This time he would have acquired the position of going to people like a hero. Who is at fault, Mr. Omar Abdullah?
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