Anil Anand
According to Anson D. Morse, an educator and historian, a political party is a durable organization united by common principles which “has for its immediate end the advancement of the interests and the realization of the ideals… of the particular group or groups which it represents.
When veteran Congress leader of the yore, Ghulam Nabi Azad formed his fledgling new party the Democratic Azad Party (DAP), he must have kept this Morse’s principle in mind. He must have identified in his mind the ideals which he wished to realise through his new political vehicle which he could not achieve during his five-decade stay in Congress, and the groups that the DAP proposed to represent or the agenda he wished to set.
Since the DAP is for all practical purposes a Jammu and Kashmir-centric party which has a chequered political history replete with chaos, confusion, deceit, and a multi- linguistic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious population as the electorates with varied religious and social beliefs, it is more pertinent that a political party in making must have its goals, both political as well as developmental, clearly identified. The established players already have their stated lines and baggage of history to showcase to the people. The new one’s either define or come out with scintillating bright ideas to change the course.
Mr Azad’s party is just in its infancy, he had formally announced the name of his party on September 26,2022. Given the scenario that Jammu and Kashmir has undergone constitutional changes with far-reaching repercussions, the political parties, more so the new entities, simply cannot wish away these developments. Whether they like it or not, willingly or unwillingly, the political parties will have to take a stated stand on post August 5,2019 developments in view of the public sentiments for and against it.
Since nominated DAP chairman, Mr Azad has left no one in doubt that come what way he would not tread on the controversial political path that touches some sensitive nerves including Article 370. And instead focus on the developmental plank. Surely, this is a new approach in the highly politicised atmosphere of the UT.
The limited issues related to these developments that he has promised to focus on are fight for restoration of statehood and domicile rights in the form of land and employment securities which are also being articulated very feebly by him. That somehow reflects his half-hearted approach in dealing with the new constitutional changes or that he has accepted the fate accompli.
Can a political party come into being without an identified political or ideological rival? And more so in the context of Jammu and Kashmir. It is unfathomable particularly in the face of volatile and instable political atmosphere in the UT. After all a political party is formed to fight elections against another party or group of parties. It is imperative that the leader, in this case the DAP, has his or her political rival clearly identified and in turn draw battlelines to motivate the cadres to take on the rival (in purely political terms).
Interestingly, Mr Azad has set out on a mission to carve a niche for the DAP in the turbulent waters of Jammu and Kashmir without a clearly identified political rival. With his Congress background, it was widely expected that he would take-on the powerful ruling dispensation led by the BJP and become a rallying point for all the anti-BJP and secular forces. Instead, he has chosen to maintain a studied silence even on other political parties such as National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), leave aside his erstwhile party Congress, with whom he could have made a common cause.
The initial euphoria as mostly people thought that he would become the rallying point to form an alternative political force and fill the gaping void in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Jammu’s, social and political firmament, is gradually giving way to a possible state of confusion. Despite some initial movement with people from other political parties showing inclination towards Mr Azad and his party and some even joining him, the process has almost stopped.
The rumour-mill is working overtime mentioning his covert understanding with the powers that be in Delhi. It got some credence when Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir gave Mr Azad a clean chit, stating that he was not among those whom he held responsible for the state of affairs in the region.
In this backdrop and on account of a missing political agenda and political goals to be achieved, there is a feeling of unease among those in the DAP, mostly his former colleagues from the Congress, as to what exactly Mr Azad is aiming at. All eyes are rivetted on his future moves.
In his inimitable aggressive style, Mr Shah directly took on the parties such as National Conference, PDP and Congress, and their leaders particularly former chief ministers, Dr Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti blaming them for everything that went wrong in Jammu and Kashmir. Curiously he glossed over Mr Azad’s tenure as Congress chief minister.
The net political gain which Mr Azad has registered since forming the party is that he has been able to split the local Congress unit by weaning away a sizable section of its leaders. Nothing has moved beyond that. The confusion and lack of clarity on his political stand has deterred more Congress leaders and workers to join his ranks. The only silver-lining for Mr Azad is that the Congress in J and K refuses to emerge from the shock that he dealt them, and put their act together to prepare for reverse desertions from DAP and even bring forward new and young leadership.
This brings one to dwell and discuss on how to define the kind of political party formed by Mr Azad out of the variety of political parties identified by experts and to name some- Cadre parties, Mass parties, Catch-all parties etc. Decidedly, DAP is neither a Cadre or a Mass party. For all practical purposes it is a Catch-all party which Mr Azad must have formed with a view to tap political talent and resource from all other sources.
The term “catch-all party” was developed by a political scientist of German-American origin, Otto Kirchheimer. He had coined this name to describe the parties that developed in the 1950s and 1960s as a result of changes or splits within the mass parties. Surely, Mr Azad and his DAP fall in this category as it was an outcome of split in an organisational party like Congress.
It’s still a wait and watch game for Mr Azad’s “Catch-all” party.
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