TALES OF TRAVESTY
DR. JITENDRA SINGH
It is hilarious. While the National Conference (NC) describes People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a creation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the PDP describes National Conference as the “B” team of BJP with an additional allegation that the top NC leadership received its grooming in the lap of BJP.
The war of words goes on and on with both the NC and the PDP seeking to project themselves as more loyal than the other to the cause of Kashmir and simultaneously both the parties also trying their best to outdo each other in distancing themselves from the BJP as if that was the best way to woo the Kashmir voter and perhaps the best way to prove their own “Kashmiriat”. As the election time draws closer, the BJP becomes an untouchable for the Kashmir-centric regional parties, even though in the event of BJP capturing power in New Delhi, both NC and PDP may vie with each other in inching towards it.
So, that about all is the politics of Kashmir valley. Whoever finds himself slightly distanced from the seat of power or faces the threat of political isolation, overnight turns a votary of Kashmir’s aspirations using separatist or semi-separatist jargon whether it be in the name of “Azaadi” or “self-rule” or “autonomy”. These slogans conveniently take a back-seat when one of them becomes a party to power… sharing the patronage of the Center irrespective of whichever the party in power at the Center.
As an election approaches, these slogans are once again pulled out for expedient use. Meanwhile, there is a very thin line of demarcation between a socalled mainstream and a socalled separatist politician in the Valley. Interestingly, there have been atleast three Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers in the last 30 years who spoke of Kashmir being an integral part of India when they were in power only to discover that Kashmir was an “unresolved” issue when they found themselves out of power.
In many ways, the socalled separatist politicians and socalled mainstream politicians of Kashmir are two sides of the same coin exchanging roles between themselves as and when required. What is more, many a prominent separatist leaders of the Hurriyat brand have been in the thick of mainstream politics at one time or the other in the past and they drifted into separatist politics primarily to sustain their relevance instead of being pushed into wilderness.
Be that as it may, the race of one-upmanship in a bid to woo the Kashmir voter often ends up causing damage to the very cause of Kashmir which these protagonists claim to serve through their self-righteous if not selfish means. And, by the way, is this the best way to serve the common man? That is the question. Is this also the best way to redeem an unrequited Umapathy whose contribution to socio-political fabric has always remained understated, a La, ‘‘Daur Ki Kaenaat Mein, Mujh Se Bhi Roshni Rahi…’’ ? That is the question.
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