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| Better watch wolf and all Singhs of BJP-- warns Jora | |
Mufti Sayeed had everything going for him. Most of all the indispensability factor. No government combination was possible without the PDP. This factor could have been better utilized by Mufti Sayeed to get something tangible for Kashmir. The fact that he chose not to do so , and instead jumped onto the Modi juggernaut , would cost him and the PDP heavily in the coming years. The common man on the streets of Srinagar are aghast that the Modi party , that Mufti Sayeed so vigorously campaigned against , and sought people's mandate to stop from making entry into valley , is today piggybacked by Mufti Sayeed into the secretariat . The irony is not lost on the common man , although politicians tend to insult their common sense.
If we could rewind and recall 2002 elections, it was the same PDP that had reaped rich political harvest accusing Omar Abdullah of aligning with communal forces, by being a part of Vajpayee government, and for condoning the Gujarat program. In actual fact , Omar Abdullah had quit the coalition government in the aftermath of the Gujarat massacre . Irony is , the very same PDP and its leaders , who accused Omar Abdullah , didn't think twice before joining hands with the alleged perpetrator of Gujarat massacre. Today the very same PDP and its leaders , both father and daughter , don't tire of singing paeans in Modi's praise.
Vajpayee leading the NDA and Modi leading the NDA is not the same thing by any stretch of imagination . Whereas as Vajpayee believed in consensual politics, respecting contradictions as dissent in democracy and managing them with subtle and refined diplomacy, Modi is a storm - trooper Rambo who brooks no dissent. It is either his way or the high way. Therefore, Omar Abdullah's sin, if there was any, pales in comparison to Mufti Sayeed's. Another significant differentiator - Omar chose to be a minister in the centre in a true democrat's government , whereas Mufti Sayeed piggybacked Modi and Amit Shah's BJP into the state secretariat - the seat of power . Never mind the fact , this party has no love lost for the symbols and the icons of the state . Kashmir's fight , manifestly , is also about such symbols that lend it its distinctive identity. Vajpayee almost ousted Modi in the aftermath of the Gujarat program , but for Advani standing up for Modi. Remember " Raj dhram ka palan karna " exhortation by Vajpayee . See what Modi has done to Advani , in return . His guru daskshna is marginalizing and relegating the old man into a Margdarshak's role. The bigger paradox is how we are subjected to unending monologue by the father - daughter duo about Vajpayee's greatness, his wisdom and statesmanship , as if Vajpayee needed their certificate. We are often reminded of "insaniyat ke daira" speech in Srinagar. By that count , using their rationale and logic , Omar Abdullah did nothing wrong in being part of the Vajpayee government. In contrast , the father - daughter duo hitching on to Modi bandwagon in the name of Vajpayee is a cruel joke and the worst abuse that could be heaped on Vajpayee . Joining hands with Modi in the name of Vajpayee's statesmanship and legacy doesn't past master. The two are incomparable - chalk and cheese . Look at what Modi has done to Vajpayee 's colleagues : Advani, Jaswant Singh , Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha - all stalwarts of Vajpayee government .
Therefore , joining hands with Modi on the plea of Vajpayee legacy , doesn't wash. Don't forget , even if he was not directly involved in the Gujarat riot , that saw over 2000 Muslims butchered in the most gruesome way, he cannot be absolved of his failure to uphold the constitutional duty to protect the lives and properties of the Muslims . Vajpayee commanded respect across the political spectrum ; Modi commanded derision and boycott - both within the country and in the international comity of nations. Vajpayee is respected for his wisdom and sagacity. Modi is branded as clever -by -half ruthless up - start who has occupied the PM' s chair through bluff and blusters , aided and abated by the likes of Adani and Ambanis of Corporate India. Vajpayee talked about " insaniyat , Kashmiriyat and jamhooriyat " ; Modi talks about " kutte ka pilla ".
Vajpayee is known to have kept RSS and the lunatic fringe at an arms length, Modi wallows in the ghar -wapsis and love-jihadis . To be fair to him, he did , for once, opt for a change of image, at the time of swearing-in , in inviting the heads of the neighboring states , including Nawaz Sharief. But that was that. As they say , leopard cannot change his spot. Soon , as seen in Delhi election, he was back to calling every one chor including Arvind Kejriwal. Wonder why Adani and Ambani are hitched on to his designer Kurta tail , not to do charity for the nation , for sure . Sadly , Mufti Sayeed chose to partner a government headed by Modi and a party headed by his henchman and errand boy , Amit Shah. He may repeat ad nauseam that it was done in the best interest of Kashmir ,and , that is why , he took two months , weighing the pros and the cons. All that crap and bull -shit is going to fool nobody. The fact of the matter is simple and plain - he played it hard to strike a hard bargain , and got one, the least of which was 6 years of Chief Ministership. All the rest is humbug . Period.
Why did Mufti do what he did ? Was it to honestly respect Jammu 's mandate , as he claims ? Isn't respecting Jammu's mandate same as giving moral legitimacy and respect to the politics of communalism and hate that were the cornerstone of this mandate? Is this mandate a true and genuine reflection of Jammu mandate? The answer is far from the truth. If anything , this mandate constitutes the mandate of the Hindus of Jammu only. But Jammu isn't just Hindus alone. Therefore , Mufti Sayeed may have done good by the Hindus of Jammu to the detriment of the Muslims who constitute 50 per cent of the population. In thus empowering the Hindus , Mufti Sayeed willy - nilly made the Muslims of the region more vulnerable , feeble and susceptible . Having tested blood , the Hindutva elements may be emboldened to follow in the foot - steps of Togadias and such of their ilk , who are always spoiling for communal flare-ups to garner more votes - not that jammu needs to look elsewhere for inspiration. Remember, Bam Bam Boole !
I am reminded here of an analogy regarding China 's impressive growth and increasing influence, and how America is cautioned to watch out. Says Thomas Friedman in his widely acclaimed book The World is Flat : First the Chinese were afraid of the wolf ( America), then the wanted to dance with the wolf , and now they want to be wolf , themselves . Same applies to Mufti Sayeed and PDP , in some measure. First, they were scared of BJP and created a fear - psychosis about BJP, now they are dancing with the BJP. Who knows , like the Chinese , next they may want to be the BJP , themselves . So all the Singhs of the BJP : Nirmal Singh, Lal Singh, Jitender Singh , better watch out !
(The author is the leader of congress legislature party and former senior minister in Jammu and Kashmir)
(Opinions expressed in write-ups/articles/Letters are the sole responsibility of the authors and they may not represent the Scoop News)
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