It's The Same Old Story!

With the assembly elections upcoming, the restlessness in the political circles of Jammu and Kashmir flares on.

Omar Abdullah of the National Conference has called the Sajjad Lone of People’s Conference an ‘RSS stooge’ and that BJP would revoke article 370 along with Muslim Personal Law to damage the state’s demography and character.

What Omar has said, or done, is nothing new. It’s all part of that old ‘Blame Game’ in which Indian politicians where always the masters. When something like a General Election comes up, politicians without any party wise distinctions comes out of their comfy little burrows to blame someone or the other and then go back as soon as the elections get over.

Rarely does a politician speak of any practical actions that might be taken after the election. Everything that matters to the people, who listens to these politicians are the sentimental value attached to it. Indian politics in that sense is worse than the ‘Saans Bahu’ TV serials.

Here the heated debate is between two political leaders, who have had special status studying abroad and almost never seeing their ‘State’ and its people for almost half of their lifetime, about the distant possibility of revoking the special status given to the state.

When will there be an actual debate about the actual issues? Politicians need to at least attempt to come up with solutions to the actual and immediate issues that pertain to the people rather than blaming each other or promising, in ornamental languages, some abstractions that is ultimately only a figure of speech. 

Speculations, Analysis; Dreams and Nightmares!

            As the J&K polls begin speculations and predictions are out. The predictions are majorly in favour of BJP and against the likes of National Conference and Congress.

          According to analysts, People’s Democratic Party might gain the highest majority in the Assembly while BJP will fall short of its target of 44. But BJP might still be able to play the kingmaker with sufficient amount to decide or choke the ruling party. 

          This essentially means that BJP would rise to what Congress has been doing in the state for the past 12 years. At the same time, Congress and National Conference would be reduced to the minimum.

Though Congress campaign was better than that in other states and even party chief Sonia Gandhi had campaigned in the state, the desired impact was never felt. Modi on the other hand was able to take masses into hands once again. The BJP campaigns avoided the controversial Article 370 and concentrated only on ‘Mission 44+’. The Modi wave might thus continue BJP’s winning streak while also striking Congress again and again.

The result, no matter in whose favour it comes out, is surely going to be another epoch in the current epoch-ridden scenario of Indian politics.

Old Ways, New Hopes!

          In a democratic political system, it shouldn’t matter who becomes the CM but nothing goes according to theory when it becomes practical. Every foundation of a theory is altered and contradicted when it is applied. And when theories are applied to places and issues like Kashmir, the application becomes more complicated.

The issue of Kashmir is more multi-faceted than it appears to be. A sense of identity, separate from that of Indian and not really Pakistani has crept into the minds of Kashmiri Muslims. Kashmir, even with considerable Sikh and Pundit population, is identified with Kashmiri Muslims.

A demographic reorganisation is one of the greater fears of many Kashmiri Muslims and a Hindu being elected to the highest position in the state is the indication of an imminent manifestation of their fears. On top of this, J&K has always aroused interests internationally and it takes no time for even the smallest issue to get global attention. 

Hence, no party has ever dared to make a Hindu CM of the state. Though, in the past, parties had Hindu majority Muslims were allowed to be on the top spot.

This has in a way sacrificed the rights of other communities living in J&K as well as the spirit of democracy has also been compromised. But if this is necessary to maintain peace in a war ridden region, then these are compromises and sacrifices worth making for. Perhaps, through such a democracy if a better Kashmir can be built, we might be able to build a better democracy in such a Kashmir. 

Article 370, The Hypocrites, The Dreamers and The Losers!

          ‘We have a clear stand on Article 370’ said the BJP state vice president Ramesh Arora. BJP wouldn’t press for the abrogation of article 370 and will let J&K maintain its special status. BJP hands in glove with RSS perpetuating Hindutva in Bengal are saying in Kashmir that ‘this contention is wrong that the BJP is a communal party.’

Wow! BJP is again and again proving that to be in politics, you need to be the best hypocrite.

Even if BJP is hypocrite, communal and extremely right, it is gaining ground in Kashmir. And when the fight comes to Kashmir, it is not going to be between NC-Congress and BJP but between BJP and PDP. The anti-incumbency in the state has rendered the ruling National Conference and Congress chanceless. People’s Democratic Party will be giving its best shot to get back into power by overcoming NC-Congress. Its greatest obstruction will be BJP which has been able to make its name synonymous with progress.

Farooq Abdulla’s absence during campaign has put NC at a loss. Congress has already accepted defeat. PDP has already started taking measures to counter the BJP onslaught and BJP is continuing its onslaught in full swing. The J&K elections and its results are going to spark fire this time.