Raman Suri
In any democracy, elections play a vital role. However, when it comes to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir which was reorganised after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, a lot was required to be done in the freshly carved out Union Territories of Ladakh and J&K to bring in an order into the system of governance, eradicate militancy, do away with redundant-lying laws, introduce all central laws, strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and make Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) vibrant to ensure that whenever these UTs regain their status of being states, a well-placed system functions like any other state or UT in the country before going to polls.
The age-old adage that “Rome was not built in a day” holds true for these two UTs of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh. However, there are several political parties which are getting impatient for elections in J&K. These very political parties had created havoc in the erstwhile state by unleashing lawlessness and sowing the seeds of hatred amongst masses against the Indian state and now they are seeing massive development which is going to erode their mass base. Fearing this, they want to grab power as soon as possible and derail the entire developmental process. The fact is that J&K needs time to weed out the black sheep who were a stumbling block in its development.
These political parties who were enjoying brute autonomy and were unable to nail militancy during their respective tenures are today seeing people getting awakened to development, enjoying their rights, seeing peace dawn here, becoming a part of decision-making institutions and most importantly, are convinced that Article 370 blocked their development and its abrogation has opened up many new vistas of employment, development, foreign investment and also saved lives of their children who were pushed towards violence. These encouraging signs are scaring those politicians and threatening their very political survival, which is why they want to grab power and stall these developments as soon as they can.
National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah last week led a delegation of leaders of 13 opposition parties in New Delhi to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to press for early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The delegation, while submitting its memorandum also sought statehood for J&K. Simultaneously, back home in J&K, former CM Omar Abdullah taunted BJP saying that it is terrified from facing people. He, while addressing a gathering in Kulgam, was demanding holding of elections here in the UT. Who is denying polls or statehood? Union Home Minister had categorically said that statehood will be granted when the right time comes and elections is the prerogative of the Election Commission of India. Utterly simple!
These eager politicians, rather dynasts, who are unable to see Jammu as well as Srinagar cities getting metro rails or foreign investment besides those developmental projects that should have been into existence since past 70 years are now pitching for polls. Honestly speaking, those who boycotted many elections in the past are today pitching for elections and making a joke of themselves. Where were these politicians when the same Election Commission of India (ECI) announced General Elections in 1996 after a long spell of Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir? Why did the same father-son duo choose to boycott 1996 Lok Sabha elections and are now desperate to participate in elections?
Can Farooq Abdullah or his son, who both have remained Chief Ministers of J&K and keep swapping NC chief’s posts, explain to the general public as to why National Conference, while in power allowed the elected Urban Local Bodies to lapse and did not hold elections to them? Was it because the people at grassroots level were getting empowered and were participating in decision-making institutions that scared NC of erosion of its centralised command and it decided not to hold elections to the local bodies in 2010?
How come NC dared to boycott Lok Sabha polls as well as ULB elections and cares to seek elections to assembly now? Is it because NC knew that it will be sending just three MPs to the Lok Sabha from Kashmir and empowering common masses through ULBs but ultimately, will retain power for themselves through assembly polls? The party could dare to threaten the Union government by boycotting LS polls and ULB elections but when it comes to their own entries into the house or self-empowerment, they are desperate to seek power and are pressing for assembly elections.
As if this was not enough, the very same National Conference (NC) again boycotted 2018 panchayat polls. These elections were also going to empower NC workers in a big way. Ironically, the leaders chose to boycott polls because it was not meant to send them to assemblies or Lok Sabha but empower commoners. Strangely, Farooq Abdullah very recently, regretted having boycotted the elections and gave no other reason for the undemocratic move. These elections were meant to strengthen the three-tier system of governance and the same was impossible to digest by the bigwigs, which is why they boycotted the polls and are today pitching for assembly polls and statehood.
Similarly, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti, whose father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was vocal about ‘ballot and not bullet’, also chose to boycott polls but never regretted. She too scuttled the prospects of thousands of her party workers, who had always been looking for an opportunity to contest elections and become part of the decision-making institutions like Panchayats or ULBs. She again chose to mar the political career of her own party workers and barred them from participating in 74 Municipal Committees, 6 Municipal Councils and 2 Municipal Corporations in J&K, elections to which were held in 2005 after 23 years.
These political parties lack the moral right to press for elections as they had remained the biggest boycotters of general elections as well as ULB and Panchayat elections. They must understand the situation and realise that J&K stands reorganised and is taking time to be rebuilt. Before holding elections, the ECI will definitely take on board security agencies, army, paramilitary forces, political parties and all other stakeholders. No one is denying elections or statehood but no one is also going to give these politicians a platform where they can have a free run and reverse all efforts of bringing an order into the system of governance.
NC is also accused of rigging 1987 elections. People’s Conference President Sajad Gani Lone had time and again been reminding National Conference of having rigged the assembly elections of 1987, thereby affecting the political career of his father and the People’s Conference (PC). He even had accused Farooq Abdullah for being responsible for over one lakh deaths that, according to Sajad, were the end-result of alleged ‘electoral malpractices’ in 1987. Hence, NC must introspect as to why it should wait and watch till ECI takes a final call on polls and not be so desperate knowing its ‘most transparent’ electoral participation.
So far as Omar’s threatening posture is concerned, he must know that unlike NC, BJP has been contesting all polls despite its victory or debacle. The largest party of the world is neither scared of polls nor is going to be carried away by its sarcastic remarks. BJP is the party which even believes in internal organisational polls and not like NC or PDP, where each time a family member is elected.
The 13 political parties who accompanied Farooq Abdullah to the ECI must also know these facts about the political participation of NC and PDP as well as their elections’ boycott history. These political parties including Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Peoples Democratic Party, Awami National Conference, National Panthers Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party must know whom they accompanied to the ECI and for what purpose? If it was elections, then NC and PDP both have a good track record of boycotting polls, and now these boycotters are leading from the front, pitching for polls. Strange, isn’t it?
(The writer is Bharatiya Janata Party J&K Executive Member)
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