Poles apart-BJP and PDP part ways

 

Jammu and Kashmir has come under Governor's rule for the eighth time so far BJP has walked out of the Mehbooba- led PDP/BJP alliance government, stating that it "has become untenable for the party to continue with the alliance" This was a unique political arrangement stitched by the two political parties to form government in the State in March 2015, after the Assembly elections had delivered a fractured mandate Given the mutually for both the parties contraindication political creed and colour of the PDP and BJP late Mufti Sayeed, one of the architects of the alliance saw it as coming together of the North Pole and the South Pole. The tie up didn't come easy. Months were taken to cobble up the alliance.

We had an occasion to say, in March 2015, that the PDP-BJP alliance government was founded more on the "Doctrine of Inevitability than on the sound principle of governance J&K needed popular rule. The alliance had arithmetic in its favour. But it was not lost on many observers that this explain arrangement would not have a smooth run. What added to the woes of this arrangement of contradictions' was the untimely death of Mufti Sayeed. The momentum of gelling together went down. Mehbooba didn't quite measure up to the situation when occasion demanded Burhan Wani's death, in 2016, Kathua incident in February, last, and Shujhat Bukhar's assassination in the first week of June, and the growing militant activities proved too heavy a burden for the alliance government to bear Then, it was only a matter of time when the North Pole-South Pole marriage would burst out. And, the end came on 19 June, 2018, afternoon.

We are in a situation akin to the one which came up in June 2008 when PDP pulled the rug from under the feet of Gulam Nabi Azad-led Congress-PDP government, in the wake of Amarnath land row. How ironic! Some observers feel that one of the reasons for BJP to walk out was to ensure safe conduct of upcoming Amarnath Yatra The difference, however, is that this time there are no mourners for the demise of the government People in Kashmir - where from PDP drew strength-are as Indifferent and unmoved as people of Jammu-which supported BJP No tear has been shed On the contrary, it appears that for the people it is a good riddance Surely, it is matter of concern.

While announcing the withdrawal of support to the alliance government BJP functionaries, in New Delhi, said that rise of terrorism, radicalism and sense of regional neglect felt by the people in Jammu and Ladakh compelled the party to withdraw from the government It looked as if BJP has trounced a government led by opposition and not the one of which the party was a main constituent. If the Mehbooba government had faulted, as BJP wants us to believe, as a coalition party, it too has a lot to.

The political pundits, however, have various theories for the sudden change of heart of BJP Some say it is an attempt by the party to shore up its sagging fortunes in the mainland, in the 2019 parliamentary elections. They feel the "Masculine approach, which the BJP-led Central government is likely adopt to deal with the terrorists, after having shed PDP baggage, may yield some political harvest to it in the rest of the country Reverting back to the 'nationalism' and zero tolerance to terrorism' some hope will add to that prospect No doubt, the terrorists must be flushed out but it is extremely essential that no harm comes to the innocent.

If it is so, there is a time to pause and think. Is Kashmir only a political laboratory or an object used to gamer votes in the mainland. It must be said that while the Governor, exercising executive power in J&K, without aid and advice of the council of ministers, is constitutionally permissible but it doesn't have a democratic flavour. It is a constitutional remedy to be applied in special circumstances. The democratic flavour is a pleasant blend of constitutionalism and the realpolitik. In J&K, the political component often outweighs the constitutional part. The Governor rule is generally read as a rule by the Centre.

J&K is the one state which can ill afford a rule by the Centre. It is a complex, political entity. What happens in Kashmir reverberates, in high tones, around the globe. The dastardly murder of a noted journalist in Srinagar, on the Eid eve has brought Kashmir back in the headlines of the world media. We have yet to come to terms with the recently published Human Rights report by a world body, with respect to Kashmir. Though the report is highly lopsided and concocted, yet there are many inimical forces across the globe ready to buy anything that goes against India, Kashmir will resurface on the talking table of many countries.

In view of the peculiar geopolitical considerations, every political party - big or small-has a role to see the situation doesn't worsen more It is highly imperative that stream of democracy flows freely. The Governor's rule has to be short lived. In the interregnum, the polluted atmosphere must be detoxified to allow sanity to rerun. It is not a good news that people of the state have not reacted to the latest development. The eerie silence speaks volumes Given the volatile nature of the Valley's politics and highly activated fault lines, hostility to the Central rule may appear soon from the quarters welcoming it now, negating what good may have come in-between and giving one more cause of worry to the administration.

Kashmir on the boil is not a good sign for any person whose heart beats for the country. PM Narendra Modi is, surely, one among them. So, he must see to it  that the state comes back on the track of peace and tranquillity; and a popular government is soon at the helm in Jammu and Kashmir.

(The writer is a former Principal District & Sessions Judge)

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Courtesy:-  B.L. Saraf   and Koshur Samachar 2018, July