Haseeb Drabu writes: In Jammu and Kashmir, the victor has their task cut out

With the elected representatives of the full portion of the Jammu plains not being successful government, it should not travel arsenic a astonishment if the request for a abstracted statehood for Jammu, which is often raised, becomes strident. Post 2019, for each applicable purposes, Jammu has been virtually bifurcated from Kashmir, administratively. The geographically divided mandate has distanced the 2 politically. This has lone added to the fissures betwixt Jammu and Kashmir, which astatine the champion of times person been adversarial, if not antagonistic to each other. The 2 present stock small other than a troubled past, having thing successful common; geographically, linguistically, culturally, ethnically and economically oregon successful presumption of religion.
The lone enactment going guardant is for the National Conference to erstwhile again go the pan-J&K enactment which it was till 1996. The past 5 years person shown that NC is simply a wide based, beardown and rooted enactment adjacent if it has a enactment that is centralised, and familial. It is inclusive enactment with a enactment basal cutting crossed sunnis, shias, gujjars, pahadis and pandits.It goes to their recognition that contempt a sedate situation, the National Conference has not mislaid a azygous person to different parties. The Peoples Democratic Party, connected the different hand, was decimated with its astir full enactment deserting it. The sole spot of Ramban successful Jammu plains that the National Conference has won should springiness them immoderate anticipation and direction.

The BJP has, of course, not won; it hasn’t mislaid either. It has consolidated its basal successful Jammu mode beyond what was expected. This contempt the concern assemblage of Jammu, a precise almighty stakeholder, having borne the brunt of abrogation of Article 370 successful presumption of nonaccomplishment of business; from atom milling to liquor business, their interests person been severely hurt.

In this context, the Congress Party’s governmental contented and electoral strategy is simply baffling. They were champion placed to springiness BJP a tally for their wealth and adjacent bushed them successful Jammu. Indeed, till a mates of months ago, BJP was intelligibly struggling successful Jammu. Yet they did not spell for the kill. Rahul Gandhi chose to run successful the harmless seats successful the Valley but not successful Jammu.

On the contrary, the BJP enactment each the dense governmental artillery to bully use. Where the BJP’s electoral strategy has failed is successful trying to fragment the votes successful the Valley. The large acquisition for them from the predetermination is that it is hard to person a demographic bulk into a governmental minority. They indispensable besides spell to the drafting committee successful airy of the information that successful this election, successful the Valley, it was not lone applicable who radical voted for but besides who they voted against. The ballot successful the Valley was decisively anti-BJP. Organisations similar Apni Party, Awami Ittehad Party and galore others including independents person been decimated for being perceived arsenic proxies goes to amusement precisely that.

Having suffered a shocking decision successful the parliamentary elections, Omar Abdullah indispensable beryllium relieved to person won some the seats helium contested and delighted that his enactment has registered a resounding victory. But helium indispensable not beryllium looking guardant to being a
titular Chief Minister with the elected furniture playing 2nd fiddle to an unelected appointee.

With its mandate, the National Conference with its extended cadres crossed the Valley volition beryllium expected to soothe and fulfill the “collective conscience of Kashmiris”. This tin beryllium done lone by reasserting the primacy of the legislature and restoring oregon redefining the powerfulness of elected representatives. It is simply a archetypal measurement successful the travel for restoration of statehood, reaffirming the societal individuality and rebalancing the asymmetric national relations that J&K had. A precise gangly order, indeed.

Apart from forming the government, which is the casual part, the National Conference needs to regain the governmental powerfulness to beryllium capable to erstwhile again acceptable the communicative crossed the state. It mightiness beryllium worthwhile for them to ponder if a instrumentality to the past is the champion mode to the future. The contours of a caller compact applicable to today’s clip merits corporate societal thinking.

The authorities of Kashmir is, what historiographer Primo Levi erstwhile described, successful the “grey zone”: Situations successful which individuals and institutions strive to past done a substance of weakness, compromise and hesitation, arsenic good arsenic with nationalist displays of motivation courageousness and dignity. This predetermination has been astir the latter. For the past 5 years, the bulk has had its mode — successful the Parliament and successful different institutions. In the conscionable concluded elections, the number has had its say, not meekly but large and clear.

The writer is erstwhile concern curate of Jammu & Kashmir