Anil Anand
One might be sounding as jumping the gun. But there is a perceptive change in the attitude of the ruling alliance partners BJP and PDP in Jammu and Kashmir. At least it was on show when Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi shared the dais with chief minister Ms Mehbooba Mufti inaugurating Shrimata Vaishno Devi multi-speciality hospital at the foothills of the holy shrine.
Mr Modi surprised everyone not only through his eulogy of late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed but equally by counting on his daughter’s yearning and concern for the well-being of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and offering his support in this endeavour. Whatever be the reason for change of heart as he had earlier been accused of shunning the late Mufti when he was the chief minister and later when he was ailing, Mr Modi’s presence and words of wisdom could possibly pave the way for smooth running of the government.
This is not to say that the ride is not bumpy. It can become easy if this spirit is followed all through. But easier said than done given the contradictions galore that exist even within the two alliance partners BJP and PDP.
What Mufti senior could not achieve in his lifetime, vis-a-vis Mr Modi, has happened in his absence. The positive impact would have been manifold and quick had Mr Modi shown similar expediency while dealing with the late chief minister. Well that is passé and history now. All one can say now is that it is better late than never.
Mr Modi’s words of appreciation for the Muftis and in turn Ms Mehbooba’s reciprocation in no uncertain terms in full public view certainly made good optics in this era of television journalism. But this feeling of unity, how feeble it may be, needs to be carried to the ground levels to restore confidence in the current dispensation both at the administrative and the political levels.
Coming in the backdrop of disturbing developments in Kashmir Valley particularly the unsavoury and avoidable NIT Srinagar happenings, the Prime Minister’s visit to the troubled state could not have happened at a better time than this. The prophets of doom are already out predicting the ominous and the battery of security and strategic affairs experts have come out warning against the “strong” possibility of turmoil in Kashmir Valley obviously backed by forces across the border.
The concerns expressed by these experts are genuine and can be ignored at one’s own peril. The greater area of concern as enunciated by many of them is the separatists forces managing to drum local support for their nefarious activities mostly on account of firstly the formation of a BJP-PDP alliance of diametrically opposite poles and lately due to the vacuum created by misunderstanding between the two allies following Mufti Sayeed’s demise.
It is under these circumstances that the words of reassurance by the Prime Minister would matter a lot. These words have to be followed by concrete steps which should be realistic in nature and not in any sense guided by placating any particular section of Jammu and Kashmir’s three diverse regions. And the fourth and most significant component in the state is the large security paraphernalia which have been bearing the brunt of Pak-sponsored terrorism for nearly three decades with ultimately an impressive rate of success.
The task would be unenviable and more difficult for Mr Modi and BJP given their publically stated stand on dealing with terrorism and Kashmir as a whole. The removal of a bunker in a busy chowk of the troubled Handwara town of North Kashmir to ease the situation there could act as an index both in terms of strategy and fallout of such steps. There is nothing in the public domain to suggest that it was done with the consent and concurrence of the security forces particularly the army. The only evidence was the unsubstantiated claims of BJP spokespersons on various news channels that the army was on board.
It is significant if Mr Modi has started viewing Kashmir from a different prism than envisioned by him earlier from the Sangh Parivar point of view. This could be a courageous move provided his prism encompasses the wider spectrum of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh if not in equal but proper measures. Kashmir is a new arena for BJP’s politics but it has established its feet in the other two regions and that is why the saffron party is in power in the only Muslim majority state of the country. It calls for a calibrated approach to achieve a critical balance between what the BJP has and what it wants to achieve.
In this context Ms Mehbooba did appreciably well by tracing her younger day links with the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi, while delivering her speech. In the normal course and as president of the PDP known for its hardened Valley centric views, she would not have remembered her trips to the shrine which could prove counterproductive in Kashmir. But she showed courage in line with alliance’s spirit of bridging the gap between Jammu and Kashmir regions in view of the critical religious divide.
The courageous moves by Mr Modi and chief minister Mehbooba are just a small but significant step. Many more such steps would be required in the days to come to prepare a public opinion across the regions for the alliance to succeed and deliver. It is equally important that the two leaders first bring their respective functionaries and rank and file on the same wave-length before the movement is taken to the ground.
There is hardly any scope left for a slip.
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