Bridging Jammu-Valley political gulf a major challenge before new J&K government
Srinagar: As Omar Abdullah is poised to take the reins as the next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir at the head of a NC-Congress government, the biggest challenge before him would be to bridge the deep political divides between the Union Territory’s two regions-Jammu and Kashmir Valley- as revealed by the just concluded Assembly elections.
Another key issue before the new government would be to maintain cordial working relationship with J&K’s Lieutenant Governor appointed by the BJP-ruled Centre and himself a BJP leader and avoid situations Delhi's elected government headed by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and its Lieutenant Governor were caught up in. Recently, the Centre vested more powers in the UT’s Lt. Governor for taking decisions including on matters related to police and all-India service officers.
Equally important for the new government will be a better Centre-state relationship. On Tuesday, Mr. Abdullah while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for complimenting the NC over its “commendable” performance in the J&K assembly elections had said that he looked forward to “a constructive relationship in the true spirit of federalism so that the people of J&K may benefit from continued development and good governance”.
The BJP has won 29 of the 43 Assembly seats-all in the predominantly Hindu Jammu region- whereas it failed to make any mark in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley. Many of its candidates in the Valley segments even forfeited their security deposits by failing to secure enough votes. This also indicates deepening of religious polarisation in J&K, a region grappled with unrests and political uncertainties for decades. For Mr. Abdullah and his government, it would be an uphill task to create a sense of belonging among the vast sections of population who voted for the saffron party in this election.
Soon after the NC-Congress combine’s big win, Mr. Abdullah sought to drive home an important message that those who sent the BJP triumphing in the Jammu heartland will not be left out nor should they feel the issues and problems they face would be discounted by the new dispensation. He said, “I will ensure that Jammu people don’t feel they have no stakes in the new government. We have to ensure equality between the people of mountainous areas of Jammu and plains of Kashmir”.
On Wednesday while speaking to reporters here, he reassured, “It won’t be a government of those that voted for us. It will be a government of every single individual of J&K regardless of who they voted for or whether they voted at all. And in that special emphasis will be placed on giving a sense of ownership and a voice within the government to those areas from where MLAs in this coalition will be less in number.”
The sources said that as the first step towards bridging the barriers, the new government will restore the Darbar Move practice, the seasonal shifting of the government between Srinagar and Jammu, known as the summer and winter capitals of J&K till a few years go. The practice of ‘Dubar Move’ was started by visionary Dogra Maharaja Ranbir Singh for strategic and climatic reasons but it has also acted as a bridge between the dissimilar ethnicities of the twin regions over the past nearly 150 years. A few years ago, the Lt. Governor-led administration discarded the practice on the plea that apart from other difficulties it devours millions of rupees from the state exchequer every year.
NC president Farooq Abdullah who has served J&K as chief minister thrice said the NC-Congress government would work towards minimising the differences between J&K’s two principal regions in order to build confidence among the Hindus.
“We have to minimise the differences that they have created between Jammu and the Kashmir Valley. Our endeavour should be that the Hindus there have this confidence in us that we will think about them in the same manner as about Kashmir,” he told reporters here on Wednesday. He added, “We will not differentiate between the two. So, what if they did not vote (for us). It is our duty to solve their problems as well.”
Dr. Karan Singh, former Sadr-e-Riyasat of the erstwhile state of J&K and the scion of the Dogra Maharajas, said that the election outcome shows a clear and sharp political divide between the two regions which will be a challenge for the new government to overcome administratively. In a signed statement, he also said that, after the formation of a new government, the next logical step, of course, is to restore full Statehood to J&K. He added, “It is now my hope that the beautiful State created by my ancestors will move into a new phase of harmony and all-round development.”