Srinagar: The Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party (PDP-BJP) coalition government, which was portrayed as a ‘win-win deal’ for all the three regions of the state less than five months ago, has run into major road bumps with both the alliance partners finding it difficult to break or continue a rather ‘unwieldy’ union.
Both the coalition partners are finding it difficult to explain the U-turns taken by them over various issues to their respective vote banks - BJP in Jammu region and PDP in Kashmir valley.
With the BJP trying to cover the lost ground in Jammu by backing down on issues like revocation of controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), talks with separatists and settlement of Pakistani refugees, the PDP is facing flak in Kashmir valley for the repeated assertions by its alliance partner on these issues.
The BJP managed to more than double its seats - from 11 in 2008 to 25 in 2014 Assembly election - on the pretext of issues like abolishing Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, continuation of AFSPA and settlement of Pakistani refugees.
However, at the time of government formation in the state in early 2015, the saffron party compromised on several ideological issues, which didn’t go well with its voters in Jammu region. The disappointment among the party leader, carders and its voters in Jammu region was clearly visible as there were hardly any celebrations in the winter capital of the state over the government formation.
“We voted for BJP because it had promised that Jammu region will not be neglected. We were told that for the first time the chief minister of the state will be from our region, but it is very disappointing that BJP bowed down to the PDP to come to power. The party also took a U-turn on various other issues, which would cost them in future,” 60-year-old Sham Lal, a vendor from Gandhi Nagar Jammu, said.
Political experts say the BJP at the time of ironing out a Common Minimum Programme (CMP), compromised on various issues, probably to grab the chance to occupy the treasury benches for the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority state of India. Becoming a part of the government in Jammu and Kashmir was also important for the BJP to continue the notion of the Narendra Modi wave, which was not visible in Kashmir valley and Ladakh region.
The BJP candidates lost their deposits in 33 out of 34 seats in Kashmir valley and also failed to open an account in the Ladakh region, where it had won a parliamentary seat few months before the Assembly elections.
Statements and systematic U-turns by the BJP from the promises it made in CMP are to cover the lost ground in Jammu region, where the saffron party is facing heat from the common people and within its folds.
Meanwhile, the rift between the coalition partners is wide open with Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, while addressing party workers at a function on July 6, saying that the alliance between BJP and PDP was not an ideological, but governance alliance. But Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had, on the day of government formation, said that it’s both an ideological and political alliance.
“There will be no compromise on national interests in Jammu and Kashmir. The day the party feels that it has become difficult to continue in government, we will not stay in power for a second,” Dr Singh further said.
Ironically, the deputy chief minister, who has sworn allegiance to the same constitution of J&K that Shyama Prasad Mukherjee died trying to get rid of, was speaking on his 114th birth anniversary. Shyama Prasad, who is the Jana Sangh founder president, had died in jail when he was arrested in 1953 for entering the state without relevant documents. He was demanding full integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
On the similar lines, BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav on July 6 said, “Many a times doubts are being raised on whether we (BJP-PDP coalition) are functioning according to the ideology of Syama Prasad, the first martyr of Independent India who sacrificed his life for the cause of J&K's unity and integration. I want to assure all those who have doubts that we are working on his principles and will not compromise with the integrity of the state. We stand against terrorists and separatist forces."
On the other hand, PDP is having a tough time explaining to the Kashmiri people its silence over such statements made by its coalition partner.
The Mufti-led party is facing the heat in Kashmir valley over its U-turns on the issues the PDP won 28 out of 46 seats in Kashmir valley. When Mufti created a stir by crediting the separatist groups, terrorists and “people from across” - a reference to Pakistan - for the high turnout in the assembly polls, it was a calculated political move.
The comment was to divert the attention of the media and the people of Kashmir from the fact that his party was coming to power in alliance with BJP, the same party he had rigorously campaigned against in the elections. One of the most important reasons for the high voter turnout in the Assembly elections was the ‘fear’ of the BJP entering the valley, a sentiment which was exploited by PDP during the campaign.
The PDP at the time of government formation sold the alliance with the BJP as the only way to garner funds for state. However, the central government’s decision to give a minuscule flood relief package to Jammu and Kashmir has dented the votebank of the PDP in the valley.
The latest blow to the PDP came after New Delhi decided to pay the Army Rs 500 crore for the flood relief operations from the package the Modi government announced for the state.
The hopes of the PDP to save face was again shattered after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who according to the Mufti-led party was going to announce a package of Rs 1 lakh crore in his Independence Day speech, made no such announcement.
With no substantial flood relief for rehabilitation of the 2014 flood-affected people from the centre and statements by its coalition partner BJP rendering promises over critical issues like review of ASFPA and talks with separatists, the PDP is finding it hard to pacify the people of the valley and leaders within the party.
The anger among the locals can be gauged by the fact that last month PDP Rajya Sabha member Nazir Ahmad Laway was roughed up and one of the vehicles in his cavalcade was set on fire by the protesters in south Kashmir district of Kulgam.
The BJP and PDP leaderships have different views on various others issues which is making it more difficult for the coalition partners to hid the rift within the government.
Mufti has on various occasions asserted that Tawi project in Jammu region will not be taken up while his colleague in the Cabinet and Deputy Chief Minister Singh has said that the government will complete the project within the stipulated time frame. However, bowing to the pressure, Mufti in his Independence Day speech said that the project will be taken up to beautify the Jammu region.
Meanwhile, senior PDP leader and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Tariq Hamid Karra had last month said the party should walk out of the alliance.
Political experts say that forming an alliance in the state was a master stroke which went wrong for Mufti in Kashmir and BJP in Jammu. “Even though alliance with BJP was a master stroke by which PDP wanted to gain more ground in Kashmir valley and at the same time weaken the BJP in Jammu region, the PDP failed to make its coalition party stick to their promises on key issues,” they said.
“Continuing this coalition government is a compulsion for the Mufti-led party and BJP as they need time to work to cover the lost ground in the valley and Jammu region,” they added.
At the same time, by comments like ‘no compromise on national interests in Jammu and Kashmir’ and ‘the party is working on Syama Prasad’s principles’, BJP is trying to set a platform for Bihar Assembly elections.
Experts believe that by these statements the saffron party is trying to evoke the nationalist sentiments and reach out to its votes of Bihar. However, they say that the BJP would wait for the Assembly election to be over, before announcing a decision on whether it wants to continue or end its alliance with the PDP.
With PDP on the back foot, the main opposition National Conference (NC) is leaving no stone unturned to attack the Mufti-led party. The NC said BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav’s statement about the PDP-BJP alliance being based on the ideology of Shyama Prasad, has exposed PDP’s complete sell-out to the BJP for the sole aim of power.
“The BJP General Secretary’s remarks have finally and formally revealed that the PDP-BJP Alliance is based on the agenda and ideology of Shyama Prasad and the ‘Agenda of the Alliance’, as stated by PDP’s own MPs is a mere piece of paper,” the NC said in a statement.
(Abid Soffi is the Managing Editor of ‘Kashmir Pioneer’)
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