Internal fissures are the last thing the Union territory’s chief executive, with his limited powers, can afford
The conciliatory tone the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has adopted towards the voices of dissent within the ruling National Conference is a welcome gesture, since internal fissures are the last thing the Union territory’s chief executive, with his limited powers, can afford.
The plainspeak by NC’s Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Aga Syed Ruhullah and senior party leader and Anantnag-Rajouri MP Mian Altaf Ahmed points to the failure of the government in addressing some of the key promises the party and the coalition it led made during the election campaigning. They include the restoration of statehood, employment opportunities for its educated youth and review of certain administrative measures.
The MPs were right in pointing out the non-implementation of the promises but they need to be mindful of the fact that the most critical questions should be answered by the Union government, and not the government in the Union territory. The restoration of statehood of Jammu and Kashmir squarely falls within the realm of the Union government; Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah have promised time and again on the issue, but have refused to act on it. The NC leaders must realise that Mr Abdullah, who believes in keeping a working relationship with the Union government, can do only so much on the issue.
That the UT continues to suffer from unemployment of the educated people, if proved right, must be an eye-opener for the whole nation that would otherwise trust the Prime Minister and the Union home minister on their statements on the new investments that are pouring in to the border state post-2019 and the employment opportunities they create. The Chief Minister may tell the people the truth about the claims the Union government makes on the topic.
While it is important that Mr Abdullah keeps his flock posted about the hard realities of governance of the Union territory, the dissenters must also make an attempt to keep their ears to the ground. Only a joint endeavour to prevail on the Union government can get things done for the UT; they must be realistic in that a divided house will only tempt the Sangh Parivar to fish in troubled waters.
