National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party Ram Madhav during his recent visit to Jammu said that “some Kashmir based parties, when in opposition, speak Pakistani language” and
these parties would be taught a “befitting lesson.” Since the day BJP has pulled out from the Peoples Democratic Party led BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir the saffron party has missed no opportunity to hit out at the regional parties in the Valley. Every attempt has been made to isolate both the PDP and the National Conference. In fact the space for both the parties stands choked.
History stands testimony to the fact that since 1947 New Delhi has played a major role vis-a-vis government formation in Jammu and Kashmir. The coalition government system which commenced in 2002 after the PDP entered into an alliance with the Congress has been continuing for the past seventeen years. None of the Valley based parties have been able to form the government independently. In November 2018 NC and PDP tried to bury the hatchet and come together but before they could go ahead Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the assembly.
Madhav accusing regional parties about talking in Pakistan’s language is yet another attempt to keep these parties confined to Kashmir only and keep the ground open for the national parties in Jammu region. He (Madhav) even claimed that people of Jammu region would vote for BJP in the coming elections and the saffron party would ensure that no government is formed in Jammu and Kashmir without support of the BJP.
The developments which have taken place during the past few months should serve as an eye opener for the Kashmiri leaders, who during all these years have relied just on New Delhi. They need to change their mindset and realize that New Delhi is no mood to promote them again. Rather than acting as the representatives of New Delhi in J&K they should try to become the representatives of their people. When these politicians are in the opposition they do try to project themselves as the “saviours” of Kashmiri people and at times go out of way to take New Delhi head on. Recently PDP president and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti visited a youth, who was admitted at SMHS hospital in Srinagar. The youth had been allegedly beaten by an Army officer. She demanded stern action against the officer and sought the intervention of J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik and the Army Chief General Bipin Rawat. But when she was ruling Jammu and Kashmir she rarely went to any hospital to meet the injured and sought action against anyone. May be at that point of time she just wanted to ensure that she doesn’t annoy the people sitting in New Delhi. Today she knows it very well that she has got nothing to lose and she can say whatever she wants. Her demand to seek action against the Army officer was outrightly rejected by the Governor Malik by saying that “she should not be taken seriously.”
The BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav may have tried to score a “brownie point” by classifying Kashmiri politicians as the people who speak in the language of Pakistan but someone needs to tell him that BJP should stop imposing itself over the Kashmiri politicians, who since 1947 have gone out of way to make the people understand that they have to speak in a language which New Delhi understands. Madhav’s assertion should serve as an eye opener for all the Kashmiri politicians, who during past 70-years have done everything to prove their loyalty towards Delhi and have maintained that the future of Kashmiris lies with India.
BJP led NDA government seems to have made up its mind to turn the mainstream politicians irrelevant in the Valley and it seems every possible attempt is being made to put them in the category of “anti-nationals.” It appears that New Delhi is working on a strategy to keep J&K directly under Centre’s rule as the people sitting in Delhi have started believing that Kashmiri politicians have no role to play.
Future of mainstream politicians looks bleak as Delhi seems in no mood to trust them and wants to implement its agenda in its own way. Kashmiri leaders are on the crossroads and they are looking for ways means to remain relevant in the changing scenario. If BJP returns to power at the Centre there is every possibility about the Kashmiri leaders being pushed to wall and put in category of the people who speak the “language of Pakistan.”
(Javaid Malik is Senior Editor Greater Kashmir).
malikjavaid123@gmail.com