Prof. A.N.Sadhu
In next few months the country will be holding its Parliamentary elections. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is likely to go to polls around the same time or may be a little later. Each election, in a vast country like India, raises new issues, new concerns and new priorities both for the parties participating in the elections and also, the voters exercising their franchise. The Parliamentary elections of 2014 were a land mark in many ways. These elections were held after the country had witnessed several scams and the people were feeling disgusted, the way things were happening in the country. The people were also expressing their resentment over the entrenchment of dynastic rule both at the central and the state level. BJP worked hard in that election to convince the electorate about not only the desirability but also an urgent necessity of bringing about a change in the Government and they succeeded. That congress will perform so dismally was surprising.
The elections in the state of Jammu and Kashmir held soon after 2014 Parliamentary elections were also a land mark in the political history of the state. The two parties fighting elections as arch rivals surprised every one when they formed an alliance to assume power. What was strikingly surprising was the ideological base of the two parties which by any rational or ethical standpoint would render such an alliance as impossible. A mainstream political party with a support base of 100 percent nationalist electorate joining hands with another mainstream political party with a support base rooted in soft separatism was not only surprising but confusing as well. This alliance might have been projected as an innovative political arrangement to administer the trouble torn state but to an average man it appeared as uncontrolled greed for power or absolute bankruptcy of political wisdom of those who thought of this alliance. It ultimately damaged both the parties and may also be their waterloo in the coming elections. The state scenario, as of now, is too uncertain and complex. Although things are equally uncertain at the national level because of the opposition efforts to combine and throw a formidable challenge to the ruling party but at the state level, the actors at play are absorbed in the dramatics that finally may not work with the people. People usually are not interested in intellectual debates, they want results on ground. Therefore when it comes to exercising their choices, they do tend to behave rationally, not for getting to give vent to their anguish.
The statements of state leaders are equally confusing. Some of these statements are made out of anguish, some out of frustration and some threatening even to the extent that the states relationship with the union may need to be reviewed. How much will political sagacity approve of it, the political Pundits will have to throw light on this. The normal thinking person wonders if the powers that be understood the genesis of the problem that has gripped the state during the post independence period and more particularly during the last thirty years. What happened in 1990 is not an isolated event, it has far reaching impact on the nation as a whole. That it is handiwork of our neighbor, can’t be ignored but it does not absolve the local leadership of its responsibility to keep the house in order. The political vested interest has driven the local leaders away from the masses and their pretentious public interest statements don’t hold any sway on them. Understanding Kashmir and understanding Kashmiries may be viewed differently understanding Kashmir by knowing its geography and history is fine but understanding Kashmiries also warrants the knowledge of its sociology unlike Jammu-ites, who besides being humble and decent are also sweet and tolerant and have successfully maintained their culture till date, a kashmiri is a humble and a decent person whose sociology has been nurtured in sofi and saint cult but he has passed through different and violent vicissitudes of history which has severely impacted his psyche and shaken his confidence. The state political leadership has taken him for granted and interpreted his concerns in a manner that served the vested interest rather than helping in gaining his confidence. The pointmen from outside the state may not understand his psyche or take too long to do so which defeats the purpose of addressing the current concerns. The need of the hour is to search the pointmen from within the state and charge them with the responsibility of straightening the cob webs woven over time. Immediate narrow political interests will complicate the matters further. Leaders are neither exported nor imported, these should emerge from within with the confidence of the masses. The paradise on earth is crying for a genuine leadership and it needs statesmanship to facilitate it.
The world is changing fast. The winds of excellence and as also the winds of virulence are sweeping the world simultaneously and the countries on the threshold of entering into a high growth phase need some imaginative and honest leadership to keep the things on course in order not to waste opportunities that time offers sparingly. The electorate both at the central and state level have to act responsibly and help ensuring the steady growth of the country. The alternative is of choosing the best option in the larger interest of the country.
The State of Jammu and Kashmir is passing through a crucial phase of history and is demanding a thoughtful political management. The champions of peace and development need to make themselves relevant by coming out openly and contributing to the stability and prosperity of the state in a wholesome manner. Balanced and unbiased approach to address the regional aspirations is required to bring harmony in the state.
The perpetrators of violence will have to be brought to justice and displaced people will have to be restored to their homeland with dignity and security. The sooner it happens, better it will be for the state and the country as a whole. For the survival of the mankind there is no substitute for peace and harmony.
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