Mahesh Chander Sudan
We, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, have been experiencing unusual and unprecedented silence on the political front for last couple of years that conveys unhealthy suspension of democracy apparently designed to fragment political spectrum of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Territorial reorganization of the then state resulted in formation of two young Union Territories of India strategically to counter the sponsored terrorism in the valley and energize the development process across the territory. Pragmatically, it is felt that the intended targets still remain elusive as the prevalent situation of the valley and the least noticeable development on ground speaks for itself. The ruling dispensation of Indian Union and local leaders of their cadre may sound convinced with the least governance dispensed through a limited team of advisors placed directly under Governor and two Lieutenant Governors since 2018 but sanity prohibits adoption of constitutional alternative for such a prolonged and indefinite period. Democracy gains its strength from mandate of the people and in the absence of such mandate no healthy governance can be achieved by any alternative administrative set up. The voice of the people in democracy must emerge through their elected representatives and not merely by few selected bureaucrats. The quality of governance achieved through a small group of appointed administrators will have inherent deficiency and would certainly hurt the state welfare at large.
It is ironical that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are left to suffer deficit governance besides denial of their constitutional right to franchise. The resultant uncertainty on political front has risen beyond the tolerance of local political entities and created a sense of inactivation dissuading public participation in politics that may create a fertile ground for vested interests to exploit but largely unhealthy for the growth of democracy. It is also noteworthy that the formation of Union Territory of JK is least adorable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir; however it may not be true for the people of Ladakh UT. Media, the fourth estate, is expected to bridge the gap between people and the ruler and the communication so derived has to be complete both ways. In the present scenario, it is the voice of the ruler largely being accommodated contrary to the principle of free and fair media coverage. Tall claims and announcements made by local leader ship especially by President BJP JKUT and sitting Members of Parliament from Jammu Province are away from the ground reality and are thrown purposely to utilize available media space fruitfully. It is an established fact that no political party can form government in future without aligning public mandate across the Union Territory by mitigating regional, theological and political imbalances. Recently held DDC elections though confirmed ideological bearing of the people in general yet it demonstrated existing regional differences that pose big challenge for political entities seeking majority mandate to form next government. Indicative fractured public mandate may not help any of the local or national political party to attain majority mandate thereby dismissing their pre-announced tall claims.
In the given scenario, it is strange to notice a new trend where senior leaders of the ruling dispensation are found indulged in criticizing their predecessors for public issues like delay in executing various high value projects like artificial lake in Jammu or Shahpur Kandi and many other languishing projects in Jammu and Kashmir provinces rather than highlighting their own achievements. It shows their handicap in matching expectations of the people and then facing them at such forum. It generates a sense of helplessness and affects their contact with the people. Evidently, the ground situation indicates towards widening of gap between leadership and the general public despite adequate media coverage given to these senior leaders of ruling dispensation. It is also unfortunate that local leadership of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir failed to rise above party politics and convey public demand unitedly at right time to defeat unfortunate division of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and subsequent formation of two UTs. The voice of the local leadership still remains shattered, echoless to convey public demand to power corridors with required intensity to compel union dispensation for according utmost priority to restore statehood, as time and again promised by not less than PM and HM and allow constitutional right to the citizens like other Indians.
This is really a testing time for local politicians to form united platform in the interest of common man on street across the length and breadth of the JKUT to demand early completion of administrative arrangements required to hold democratic electoral process for formation of elected government to save people from deficit governance dispensed through temporary constitutional arrangement for last three years and restore derailed momentum of development caused due to bad and deficit governance since 2014.
This undoubtedly demands that entire leadership across the political spectrum should shun their ideological differences and acknowledge public demand so that unemployed youth gets minimum employment opportunity and economic revival for all sections of the society get rebooted with honour especially during pandemic ridden times. Public demand for development across the UT without any discrimination must be raised with serious thrust to make laudable echo in the corridors of authority in the union Capital. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.
(The author is Wg Cdr)
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