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| Bhartiyia Janta Party in self-destruction mode | | |
M.M.Khajooria
Jammu ,the core con
stituency of BJP in
Jammu & Kashmir state which only recently massively voted for it wass in revolt. The winter capitol observed second anti- BJP total shut down on 27th May to protest against the "BJP betrayal" on the issue of AIIMS which Finance Minister Jaitley in his last Budget speech in the Lok Sabha categorically and unambiguously announced in favour of Jammu . The Jammu & Kashmir government in which BJP ,whose entire lot of MLAs was elected from Jammu , shocked and angered the people of Jammu by being a some what "enthusiastic collaborator" to the PDP decision to relocate the AIIMS in Kashmir. This upturned the Central governments' commitment for Jammu made in the Lok Sabha , to which subsequent developments evidenced Modi Government was complicit. The earlier Jammu Bandh on the very same issue was observed on 24 the of April. The May Bandh had enormous significance. It was an open snub to Home Minister Raj Nath Singh who arrived in Jammu for the first time after assuming office to be greeted by shops with shutters down and deserted Bazars and roads. In fact , he was due to address a "huge rally" in connection with observance of Modi government completing one year in office . The plan for the rally had to abandoned due to lack of public response and the Bandh called by all political, commercial and social organizations under the banner of Bar Association of Jammu. An indoor meeting with citizens was instead decided to be held in Jammu university Zorawar Singh Auditorium. As even this could not be managed the party had to make do with a 'get -together" in a Banquet Hall on the outskirts of Jammu city. To many the Bandh was reminiscent of the Bandhs observed in Srinagar on the visits of Prime Ministers . A pro-Azadi Kashmiri friend made an interesting comment. " Good" he said "So you have also realised these jokers from Delhi are no body's friends"
Why was the ruling party in Delhi proving so utterly inept and insensitive in dealing with an issue which not only hurt the sentiments of the people, shattered their faith so stoutly expressed in2014 elections to the Lok Sabha and Jammu & Kashmir legislative Assembly ?. Did it not occur to any one in the government and the party hierarchy that AIIMS location issue touched the most sensitive area of health care, facilities whereof were woefully inadequate in Jammu region? The facility was critical for men. Women and children of this generation as also for those to come. It was height of naivety and callousness to cheat Jammu of the AIIMs of this critical facility and expect the people to keep quite. Like all warriors, people of the Dogra land talk less but when provoked react firmly and decisively. Let those in helms of affairs in Delhi and Srinagar be warned.
As far as Kashmir was concerned sanction of an AIIMS there also - as a special gesture if made in good grace would have created an enormous fund of goodwill amongst the people without causing any distress to people of Jammu, which incidentally was its one and only one constituency in the State. One does not have to be clairvoyant to recognise that such an arrangement would have been politically productive and help strengthen emotional bonds with New Delhi. The short sighted policy of pitching peoples of one region against the other , on the other hand was bound to boom rang. Surely, the government of India would not go bankrupt by sanctioning an AIIMS for . Kashmir without disturbing the arrangements already approved for Jammu? In any case Jammu Kashmir enjoyed a special status and its treatment as such in this context would create no problem elsewhere. As it is, we already have two Central Universities, one in Jammu and the other in Kashmir.
I do not really know what to make of the astounding solution of the tangle offered by BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi at Jammu on 25th May. "Now what I personally suggest" she stated " is the AIIMS should come somewhere at the centre of Jammu and Kashmir, the place which is accessible and acceptable to all the three regions of the state ( including Ladakh." How simple? Why did not this occur to us dumb people of the backward state of Jammu & Kashmir? , May ,I make bold to suggest that she take some time off from her busy schedule and acquaint herself with the topography of this state. This may prove rewarding and produce required enlightenment .
The mishandling of the issue had not only brought discredit to the local BJP leadership but also, to put it mildly substantially hurt the image and popularity of Prime Minister Modi who publically undertook to personally secure and promote their interests in al spheres- Municipal bodies( as a Corporate)_, state assembly ( as an MLA) and at the national level( as their MP). But the bigger sufferer was Dr. JitendraSingh , a member of the Lok Sabha from Doda-Kathua constituency handpicked by him as MOS in his office who had proudly narrated in a public meeting in Kathua his own role in having the AIIMS sanctioned for Jammu for which he had personally thanked Finance Minister Jaitley? Coming down heavily on those "deliberately sending contradictory signals' on the issue." He declared "It is ironic" that "the present government in Jammu and Kashmir takes pride in owning the IIT for Jammu which was sanctioned six months before the birth of this coalition government but refuses to own the AIIMS which was sanctioned just 24 hours before its birth with the presentation of Union Budget on28th February and swearing in of this government on Ist March". Contrast this with "PMO’s message" reportedly delivered by him in a function in rural Jammu on 24th of May, 2015. The press report said "Prime Ministers' office ..asked the people of Jammu province to behave and not rake up any Jammu -specific issues as the todays' BJP is not only a reformed BJP but also a party that is part of the J&K government". .....the message was as unambiguous as it was a sort of warning that New Delhi under the New Dispensation will not appreciate any demand that is considered by the Kashmir leadership as anti-Kashmir or parochial". Don't' miss the emphasis on words "Considered by Kashmir leadership". Earlier Jatinder Singh led a BJP deputation to Finance Minister Jaitley to plead for "an AIIMS for Jammu also". Every one was free to charter his own course in politics. Sadly, in this case the prevailing political culture seem to have caught up with the gentlemen rather quickly. My main regret was that he proved me wrong . In my article titled Don’t let the AIIMS controversy fester" published on 30th April. 2015 I had written "There can really be no quarrel with the truth about the sequence of events and authenticity of facts disclosed by Jitendra Singh. Even otherwise, he is too much of a gentleman and being relatively a new entrant in the tribe of politicians reasonably free from the culture of duplicity and deceit that generally inform their behavioural pattern" And I do not like to be proved wrong..
Abrogation of Article 370 was the dominant political 'Mantra' of the party in its present and previous incarnations. Every year it observed 'Shyama Prashad Mukerjee fortnight' in the memory of the icon , who they believed " fell martyr to the cause of total integration of Jammu & Kashmir with India". in a Srinagar Jail and reiterate the resolve to realise his dream. When it came to power in the centre under Vajpayee , the party assured its adherents of continued commitment which could only be fulfilled when they had numbers in the Lok Sabha to be able for form government on their own. The wish was granted by the decisive electoral victory in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Intoxicated with the new found power, Dr. Jatinder Singh, MOS in PMO was somewhat rashly tasked to fire the Article 370 salvo. Unable to handle the counterblast the step was hastily retracted. The roaring was substituted by mewing. A bad beginning by all accounts. Finally the agreement between the parties holding violently conflicting views on the all important Article( for both parties) paved the way for the out-of-the -world coalition was spelled out in the CMP of the PDP-BJP coalition ,whatever its worth, implications and long-term fallout. The issue appeared to have been settled for at the least the duration of the coalition. This, however was not to be. For some mysterious reason Central BJP leader on arrival in Jammu just can not resist the temptation to speak on Article 370. So BJP National Spokesperson, Sombit Patra told reporters in Jammu on 24th May. "As for as the abrogation of Article 370, it continues to be part of the core ideology of BJP but right now we don't have enough numbers in Parliament to do away with it. But in future when we do have numbers we will work towards its removal". MJ Akbar, another National Spokesperson of BJP told reporters in distant Patna on 25th May that "This is a constitutional matter and any kind of change in it can not be brought in the Parliament" Significantly, he was responding to a question on Prime Minister Modi' stand on article 370 in the light of Patra's Jammu outburst. MJ Akbar had taken the position akin to that adopted by the PDP, Congress and National Conference. But Jammu magic was infallible. Another Spokesperson of the party ,Meenakshi Leekhi had the fallowing to say the very next day in Jammu ."There has been no change in the ideology of her party as for as the removal of the article from the constitution was concerned.'"BJP has not weakened is stand on the issue, but it is not something that can not be done overnight...". She stated .which was the authentic voice of the BJP and the Modi government? If Akbar had stated the position adopted by the Prime Minister, on whose behalf were Patra and Lakhi speaking? Now MOS Jatinder Singh has come out with the oft repeated "on the back burner theory". We have heard him before. In any case, if this was indeed so why was "the emotive core issue" allowed to be pushed on the front burner every now and then. More over, given the stature and credibility enjoyed by MJ Akbar, denial to be credible had to come from him, the President of the party or the PM himself. These were just two instances , illustrative not exhaustive, to show how the party "with a difference steeled by discipline' was flirting with what can only be called the dangerous game of self-destruction |
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