Rajan Gandhi
Jammu and Kashmir has been centre of politics right from the day one of Indian freedom struggle history. It is filled with real stories of deceit, treachery, arson, loot, communal riots all in the name of politics. When whole India was busy with Quit India movement our state was busy in Quit Maharaja movement, when whole India was busy in celebrations of independence our state was still struggling to understand the meaning of democracy. Despite being one of the biggest states of India it never got the chance to relish the fruits of democracy. It is ironic to recall when ‘Iron Man’ Sardar Patel was busy in stitching ties with princely states of rest of India, Nehru was busy in politics to safeguard the interests of his friend Sheikh Abdullah. On one hand Britishers were interested in uniting J&K with Pakistan but on other hand Sheikh Abdullah was busy in manipulating Nehru and Lord Mountbatten to somehow fulfilling his dream of ruling J&K by any means. Nehru in his zeal to help his friend Abdullah just ignored the national interests and preferred to play hide and seek with Maharaja Hari Singh, there by wasting precious time. Even when Maharaja declared his unconditional merger with India still Nehru devoid our state of timely military assistance on the pretext that Sheikh Abdullah was still in jail and had to be sent to Delhi as precondition. But once released and back in Delhi, both Nehru and Sheikh started plotting against Maharaja Hari Singh to the extent that though Maharaja agreed to unconditional merger with India but still PM Mehar Chand was called to Delhi, humiliated, necessary military assistance was delayed which nearly cost India whole J and K but thanks to the intervention of Sardar Patel who put his foot down in time and Indian troops were ultimately airlifted, but the damage was done in the shape of POJK, with both Britishers and Nehru-Sheikh succeeding in their plans but at the cost of India. Maharaja was allowed to settle in Mumbai with a condition never to return back to J & K again.
Reigns of the state were handed over to Sheikh who started his own game plan to fulfill his dreams with the blind support of Nehru who just ignored all ominous signals emanating and that’s how Articles 370 and 35 A got slipped into the constitution just to please one person who had nothing else except a dream to rule J&K. Fallout of all this was despite being smallest territory wise as well as population wise, Kashmir was still granted more assembly seats, not allowing Praja Parishad of Jammu to contest polls and ultimately getting his candidates elected unopposed for constituent assembly through this backdoor alliance between Nehru and Sheikh. Rest is history how Jammu once missing the bus faced humiliation and discrimination for last seventy two years since independence. Muck didn’t stop here as Sheikh then plotted against the Union of India to declare independence and was ultimately put behind bars what is famously known as Kashmir Conspiracy Case, was tried for treason and reins of power were handed over to his confident Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed. Election after elections were rigged with NC merging with Congress, loot of tax payers money just went on and on with Delhi just closing its eyes for the sake of keeping Kashmiri leaders in good humor at the cost of Jammu. Discrimination with Jammu can be gauged from the fact that SKIMS, NIT (REC at that time), SKUAST, Convocation Centre, tourism, hospitals, infrastructure all were allocated to Kashmir and nationalistic Jammu got the treatment of second class citizen silently with no one there to listen to them. On the other hand emboldened Kashmir went on with their tantrums with the establishment of Plebiscite Front, strikes, arson, communal riots, pro Pakistan slogans and what not were the daily choruses of Kashmir.
Ultimately after defeat of Pakistan in 1971 and creation of Bangladesh Sheikh Abdullah finally realized the in futility of his inconsequential freedom struggle and the Lion of Kashmir was tamed what is better known as Indira-Sheikh accord. It went on and on with Congress and NC both playing politics to outwit each other, rigging elections, least development with the result masses getting further away from India and seeds of rebellion were sown in the coming generation. With the death of Sheikh Abdullah, Congress once again played dirty game to dethrone his son Dr Farooq Abdullah to install his son in law GM Shah. After some time NC and Congress again came together in alliance what is known as Rajiv-Farooq accord, got 1986 elections rigged to get Dr. Farooq elected again at the cost of MUF which resulted in onset of terrorism in J and K which is being witnessed for last three decades and still continuing. In between PDP of ex Congressman Mufti emerged and dynastic musical chair competition began with Sheikh Abdullah, his son Farooq, his son Omar, Mufti, his daughter Mehbooba all enjoying extra ordinary fruits of power alternatively with the support of Congress. It went on and on unchecked as recent as 2018 when despite an alliance with PDP, Modi and Shah faced the blackmailing tactics of PDP though they supported both father and daughter Muftis, giving them complete independence to develop state and deal with the situation as per their desires. But with tantrums of Mehbooba increased day by day till both took a final call in 2018 to withdraw support and rest is history now.
Writing was very much on the wall with successful panchayat and parliamentary elections, which everyone could see what was coming except Kashmiri dynast politicians. It reminds one of similar classical case of Bahadur Shah Zaffar, the last poet king of Mughal Empire, who was defeated by The East India Company, was first confined to the four walls of his palace ‘The Red Fort’ where he wrote his famous couplet showing his helplessness, ‘Hukumi nawab ta dari nawab’, meaning his orders are confined to the gate of the palace only and after some time he was deported to Rangoon and kept as a prisoner where he wrote his famous gazal, ‘Lagata nahin hai ji mera ujde dayar maen kisski bani haen alame napaydar maen’. Both Abdullahs and Muftis lost power to which they were used to for a long time, Abdullahas’ third generation and for Mehbooba its second generation. With no more long lines of bureaucrats or the numorous favor seekers they can thank Indian Government and Indian democratic set up that they are still not confined to solitary cells like Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah and others despite Farooq Abdullah involved in JKCA scam and Mehbooba suspected in J&K Bank scam. Dr. Abdullah barely scrapped through by getting a couple of thousand votes, the lowest in the country to be an MP and Mehbooba tried her luck from home turf of Anantnag only to be relegated to the last position and was merely able to save her security deposit and Omar Abdullah had to run away from his dynastic Ganderbal constituency to seek election from a safe constituency.
Dr. Abdullah, though in mid eighties and having an experience of decades in politics, shockingly could not read the writing on the wall. Both Mufti and Abdullas were not wise enough to gauge the political change in the country after two successful LS wins by PM Modi. Policies have changed so have the faces and there is nobody to accept the tantrums thrown by the Valley leaders as sitting next to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi in LS does not scare anybody from the treasury benches anymore. The appeasement policy is now history. The last election has been a graveyard for the dynastic politics as the electorate has matured and cannot be taken for granted and they have shown the right place to the scions of dynastic families, but both Abdullas and Mufti tried to last resort of inciting people of Kashmir to revolt but as expected were dumped by them at this last game also.
With China busy with Hong Kong trouble, Britain in BritExit, USA engaged with Iran right now and more recently USA-Pakistan getting closer once again to keep India out of Afghanistan, India has played the master stroke at a perfect time, scrapping Article 370 along with Article 35A, meaning merger of J and K with rest of India as any other state with no special status achieving dream of Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee of Ek Vidhaan Ek Nishaan Ek Pradhan. Ladakh turns into UT without legislature as promised and J and K also as UT with legislature as New Delhi and Puducherry. Within one day history has been written, circle has taken full course and now Maharaja Hari Singh’s soul can rest in peace as his humiliation at the hands of Nehru- Sheikh stands repaid in double with interest, all dynasts made totally irrelevant in J and K politics once for all.
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