Breakup between BJP and PDP
The Bharatiya Janata Party and the
Peoples Democratic Party are again the polar opposites of each other. The BJP pulled out
of the alliance before the Lok Sabha election next year. The BJP is depending on the Hindu vote bank
in Jammu and the PDP on the Muslim vote bank in Kashmir.
The controversy over the support
extended by two of its Ministers to the accused in the Kathua rape-and-murder
case was the reason for the breakup. In the J&K Assembly, an alternative
government without the BJP will need the PDP, the National Conference and the
Congress to come together. The 2014 verdict was a fractured mandate.
With regard to Kashmir issue let us
not forget that there are many stakeholders and the Central government has to
deal with all of them to solve it. Basic problem is this: 1. What is ‘azadi’
and how can people of Kashmir be given that? 2. All governments in the Centre,
irrespective of which party or coalitions of parties was in power, have had to
deal with violence in Kashmir and no one has really succeeded in containing it.
Violence in the Kashmir valley is going on for more than three decades;
everyone knows that it is Pakistan which provides direct and indirect
assistance to those who indulge in violence. Kashmir’s political parties have
demanded azadi or autonomy for Kashmir. 3. Is it not true that political
leadership of Kashmiri Muslims wishes to involve Pakistan in Centre’s efforts
to solve Kashmir? Fact is no Central government can invite Pakistan in resolution
of an internal matter. Unfortunately, this is the ground reality which
Kashmir’s politicians find it hard to accept.
The Centre took a gamble by asking
the security forces to desist from pursuing anti-terrorist operations in
J&K during Ramzan. The then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had made an offer of
ceasefire during Ramzan, but Pakistan-based leaders of various terror outfits
operating in the state rejected the good will gesture. According to them, even
the great Battle of Badr was fought in this holy month. Terrorists have no
religion.
Thus this is the logical and
pragmatic end of the coalition. The significance is it is peaceful which may
help prevent bad blood between the two communities. Yes, elections in Kashmir
in reality is between Hindus and Muslims, Congress playing second fiddle to a Muslim
party.
The PDP-BJP break up has ushered in
political uncertainty in J&K and state seems to be headed for a long spell
of central rule as chances of holding fresh elections in near future are very
remote due to prevailing situation. The BJP cannot take a high moral ground and
put the entire blame on PDP for horrible mess the state is in as was stated by
Ram Madhav at the press conference. The alliance was a marriage of convenience
and ended after the BJP came to the conclusion that its continuation would hurt
it in next general elections. The central rule is not a new thing for J&K
and in fact for most part of nineties the state was under central rule and it
has not helped in improving the situation. The outgoing CM, Mehbooba Mufti in
her press conference warned that muscular methods will not work in Kashmir and
further deteriorate the situation. The Kashmir is a very complex issue and
needs to be handled carefully and any misadventure can have far reaching
consequences.
Strict security for Amarnath yatris
may not have been possible without giving greater powers to the security forces
which the PDP was opposed to doing. Further the first batch of Kashmiri Pandits
from Delhi left in a convoy to their homeland after 28 years. Should the
central government decide to finally rehabilitate all the displaced Pandits
then the armed forces must be given complete freedom to deal with anyone
obstructing this move.
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