Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo
On the occasion of the completion of four-year rule at the Centre and three years of participation in the Coalition Government in the State of J&K, the Bhartiya Janata Party has now an onerous task of review, introspection and deliverance. The Agenda of alliance formed before the announcement of the Government formation could never catch the imagination of the people for its own reasons. Rightly or wrongly, it was termed as the Blue Book of the Alliance Government formed by PDP and BJP jointly after a mammoth exercise of discussions at various levels. The main architects of the Alliance are, as on date unfortunately, either dead or out of the government or playing a second fiddle to the decision making processes at the fundamental level.
PDP cadres have a big reason to be happy, possibly because their leaders are primarily running the Government. It is PDP which has 75 percent technical control on the levers of power. The gears are well in their hands and the leader who has got the steering of the Government is well educated and trained in the business of the impossible art. The most important ministries that decide the fate and future of the politics and the working of the Government and also of the legislature are handled by the PDP stalwarts. Besides the Chief Ministership, PDP has Home, Finance, Law, Revenue, Parliamentary Affairs, Education and Tourism which form the actual gear box of any government. The rest are basically the peripheral non-political welfare departments which have the potential to cause the most resentment among the people in case of even minor failures.
Not only this, the main constitutional and institutional bodies have also PDP sway. State Accountability Commission, State Human Rights Commission, State Women Commission, important Tribunals and Corporations, Undertakings and other important offices have complete control of PDP nominees. BJP nominees are either simple members of the constitutional bodies or are the In-charges of the historically controversial institutions. It needs to be mentioned here that the General Department, Recruitments, Personnel and Trainings are the domain of the Chief Minister directly besides Protocol and Hospitality being the strong arm of any government in a state like Jammu and Kashmir; it has a lot of meaning which needs no elaboration.
The ministers who joined the Alliance Government on behalf of the BJP three years ago and thereafter were by and large new entrants to the Government mechanism excepting the present Dy. CM (who is a three time Mayor of the Jammu city) and one former minister. It was expected that the team of BJP Ministers would pick up quickly and while keeping lias-on with the respective constituencies would participate in the government with a mission. But the fact remains that the ‘schooling’ got delayed due to various reasons, obvious and unobvious. Politics does not offer too many chances. Every catch in politics like cricket has a value, but it is the player only who has to know the value of the catch that he or she is expected to hold.
The BJP ministers needed a rigorous education, training and probation politically and technically speaking. In politics, perceptions matter and politicians need to know this. The wise politicians keep on telling the people about their work, the speed of their work, the resultant effects and the future programmes of the Government concerning their offices. The Central Government ministers (most of them) have learnt this art in a jiffy, but the State Government ministers especially belonging to BJP could not do the justice. The Prime Minister of the country Narendra Modi is the grand master of this art but you need ‘grand students’ to learn the art impossible.
It is an open secret that the connect with the public is lost not because of the party or the top leaders at the central level but because trainings, education and probation have taken a lot of time which is considered a ‘crime in politics’. Time has a special and specific meaning in politics and those who understand that play their part smoothly.
Kathua happenings have added salt to the injury. Asking for CBI enquiry was/is never a crime. The other things would have been sorted out intelligently without annoying the resenting people. BJP has a history in Jammu province to be a party to the grievances of the people always. It was not a difficult situation to handle when the people of Kathua, Jammu Bar Association and the lawyers were all on the same page. Failures have booked their space in the annals of history, unfortunately. It was heartening to note Shri Amit Shah openly favoring the agitation of Kathua people and the demand for CBI enquiry on the TV Channels on 26th May 2018 in connection with the completion of four years of the Modi Government. There was a great miscommunication between the party, Government and the central leadership of the party including the Prime Minister. However, everything is not lost. The people, lawyers and the JBA have done a commendable job.
Let it be admitted that those who conspired against the Jammu region, the JK Hindu community and the people of Kathua are better equipped, have larger designs and have wider access. This got proven when they virtually pounced whole hog and took every Tom, Dick and Harry by surprise. But being claver is one thing and being wise is completely the other thing. What Jammu could not achieve for the last one hundred years that has been done by two issues ie, Amarnath Agitation and Kathua Carnage. Today Jammu is on the global platform and everyone concerned knows its location. Thanks once again, the tormenters of Kathua for your nasty and communal hyperbole.
BJP needs to identify with the pain of Kathua publicly. Its ministers, representatives and other leaders need to raise the issues of concern with a purpose. “Sab ka sath Sab ka Vikas” needs to be converted into a public movement. Water, Roads, Electricity, Health and Irrigation are the fundamental issues of concern for the public. What has been done by the party and the Government for the public needs better propaganda and connect.
Demographic invasion on the Jammu region is a fact of life. The illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar in Jammu have since been associated with the regular and official economic activity of the state. The terror regime and radicalization of the society in Kashmir have made terrible inroads. There are all designs aimed at the demographic invasion of the Jammu region. The grenade attack on Jammu bus stand is representative of the renewed strategy of the ISI and the terror groups to pressurize the Jammu region. It has deep connection with the overall political situation of the Jammu province.
The Tribal Department order of the J&K Government is ultra vires of the constitutional scheme of things and allows illegal land grabbing in the Jammu region. The issue of continuous stay of Rohangya and Bangladeshi illegal immigrants in Jammu is developing into a very serious threat to the security and law and order situation in the J&K state and Jammu province in particular. Their comforts in their stay are being taken care of by the political class and some NGOs and their detection and deportation is contested and also given a communal colour. BJP in the year of Parliamentary elections will have to take people into confidence regarding this issue. It has to represent the geo-political aspirations of the Jammu region, Ladakh and the nationalist people. The issues pertaining to the Kashmiri Pandit community are always on the top of the agenda whether it is elections or a normal situation. Their concerns which cannot wait need immediate redressal.
For the ministers in the State, public representatives in the legislature and the other leaders of the party, there are a number of lessons of the last four years. Education, Trainings and Probation are over, BJP…! You are expected to deliver and deliver fast, and to the satisfaction of the people at large because of the fact that you represent them and their aspirations for the last seven decades consistently.
(The author is the President of Panun Kashmir-PK)
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