Time for change begins in J&K

Kashmir elections are over. The TV channels and their exit polls have announced the verdict. The forecast maybe correct or completely off the mark. The real answer will come on Tuesday, and till that time everything is in the realm of speculation. One thing, however, is certain that this is the time to change as the old ways have kept the uncertainty alive. It is not an easy task. There are tough times ahead for the Centre and the state alike with regard to J&K.

The Kashmir’s political weather has a habit of collaborating with events to reinforce feelings of doom. We have had very good elections, voters turned out in very large numbers, defying many odds. The real difficulty arises when the legacy of the electioneering is carried onto the post-election scenario. That’s doomsday scenario.

Jammu and Kashmir is different. More important than the results and the government formation is the way the state will run for the next six years or will it be allowed to run for the full term. No party will ever admit that it cannot lead the state for the full term of six years. The voting pattern and the dangerous discourse during the electioneering have made things very difficult. Political players will now have look ahead beyond the past.

Need for development

Good governance, justice, development, credibility of the institutions and basic amenities are the crying need of the people across the state. The track record of the political parties that we have seen since Independence is that nothing changes in the state. We are still frozen in the 1940s mindset and that is amply reflected in the state today.

Cue for the alarm and despair comes from two things that guide political thought. One, as long as people are in the government (functional or dysfunctional), they are happy. There also is a paradoxical approach towards New Delhi. It has to be kept in good humour for seeking political stability and the liberal funding from the Centre. Something is due to it under the federal system, but J&K always asks for more and doesn’t want to be held accountable.

And, the Centre is no less to be blamed for the mess that exists in the state. The parties ruling at the Centre keep their eyes shut to the disastrous happenings in the state because they don’t want to rock the political boat. And, at times, the Centre is overenthusiastic in pulling down the governments.

It has set unfortunate precedents of dismissing the duly elected governments mid-way by inventing excuses. Without acknowledging its faults, it has entered and re-entered into alliances with the same groups which it dubs dangerous for the national security. This duplicity has caused a huge damage to the democratic psyche of the people of the state.

Accountability required

For J&K, the Centre also is an ATM which delivers cash without the state having a debit card. It doesn’t have any balance in the account. This state’s rulers have always considered it their fundamental right to take money from the Centre, even which is not due to it and then not offer any account of it. The moment questions about the utilisation of funds are raised, these rulers bring the instrument of the accession into question and resort to the old rhetoric of the unresolved Kashmir issue.

Against this backdrop, the times ahead are very, very difficult. The state’s economy is in a bad shape. Not only does it have to emerge out of the devastation caused by floods but it also needs a steady flow of funds with due accountability to set its economic house in order. The Centre will have to look at things judiciously. Irrespective of the fact how many seats the BJP clocks on December 23, it will have to be judicious both about the political and economic issues. Narendra Modi, who has acquired a new avatar after becoming the Prime Minister, has a major responsibility in giving a feeling of oneness to the whole state.

And, the new government will have to change the old ways of governing the state. The state has run out of patience with the diversionary tactics and misgovernance.