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| Government on the mat, pressure on Congress, discrimination with Jammu | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 2: The way the Chief Minister has been handling the situation in Kashmir has created a sort of furore in Jammu and Delhi. The BJP, which only the other day expressed its solidarity with the NC and offered its unqualified support to the official endeavours aimed at restoring law and order in Kashmir, has upped its ante and urged the Congress to come out of the Omar Abdullah-led government. The BJP has not only accused the Chief Minister of adopting a very soft approach towards those who have been taking the law of the land into their hands, but has also held the NC and the Congress, which shares power with the NC, squarely responsible for the prevailing situation in Kashmir.
Although the BJP has not directly demanded imposition of the Governor's rule, its suggestion that the Congress must withdraw its support to the government means the same. The moment the Congress withdraws its support to the government, the Omar Abdullah's government will be reduced to a minority, And, once it happens, the Governor will have no other option what to take over the reins of administration and govern directly. Remember, the number of the NC MLAs is only 28 in a house of 87. Omar Abdullah needs the support of at least 44 MLAs.
The Panthers Party, too, has been demanding imposition of Governor's rule in the state, saying that Omar Abdullah has forfeited his moral and political right to rule the state. The Panthers Party leadership has met the President of India and the Prime Minister and urged them to dismiss the Omar Abdullah-led government. The Panthers Party is demanding dismissal of the state government everyday. The Panthers leadership wants the governor to keep the assembly in suspended animation and run the government for sometime. It believes the dismissal of the Omar Abdullah government would go a long way in restoring normalcy in Kashmir.
The party leadership is also criticizing the Congress, but its criticism is more tactical than real. It actually wants the Congress to snap ties with NC and form an alliance with the PDP, which is very close to the Panthers' leaders such as Harsh Dev Singh. It appears the Panthers Party is for a situation that enables it to share the state power. It will not be able to fulfill its desire because the three parties, even if they join hands, would not be in a position to form government. Taken together, the number of Congress, PDP and the Panthers Party MLAs is 39. Even if the Congress-supported MLAs Ghulam Hassan Mir and Hakim Yaseen join the coalition, the number will increase only by two. In other words, the number will be 41, three less than the required number. Anyway, the basic point is that the Panthers Party is up in revolt against the Omar Abdullah-led government.
The story of troubles of Omar Abdullah doesn't end here. His primary concern is how to keep its coalition partner on his right side. Notwithstanding various statements to the contrary, the Congress is not at all happy with Omar Abdullah and his style of functioning. A July 30 PTI report from New Delhi clearly suggests that the Congress is "watching with concern the situation and its handling by the state government of which it is a part as it feels that separatists are calling the shots in the Valley." The report has further said: "Censuring the state government, a senior Congress leader said the Omar Abdullah government seemed to have become a helpless spectator to the games being played by the separatist Hurriyat Conference to spread their influence. It is strange that the government servants as also shopkeepers are following the calendar brought out by the Hurriyat only three of the seven days in a week are working days."
This report can be construed as a scathing attack on the Chief Minister and his government. All this shows that pressure is mounting on Omar Abdullah, with almost everyone in the mainstream political parties asking him to act, deliver and restore peace in Kashmir. Omar Abdullah will have to act before it is too late. In fact, he is already too late. The situation as it exists today in Kashmir is alarming and grim by any yardstick and it requires concrete and result-oriented actions on the ground. The paramount need of the time is to isolate, rein in and bring to justice the ring leaders, who right know are enjoying official hospitality and tell the people the government means business. The Chief Minister just can't afford to act he has been acting since June 20. If he acts, he survives politically, and if he doesn't, his political inning in the state will be over sooner than later. (To be continued)) |
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