Political platform a necessity in J&K

Arun Joshi

The pandemic of Covid-19 has served a chilling reminder in J&K that it needs a reasonably well-connected political platform for the real comfort of the people. It is now two years that J&K is without a political government.

The PDP-BJP coalition government was the last political government of the state of Jammu and Kashmir – now split into two Union Territories. The government fell after the BJP withdrew its support to the PDP on June 18, 2018.

Politicians are not area experts, but they do are connected with people.

Today, people have no doors to knock at. Nearer home, Punjab is an example where the political government had decision-making power, understood the people, their needs, necessity of lockdown and how to ease it and when. Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had got a blueprint ready for the state’s fight against the virus. The planning with people in mind plays out well.

That J&K is politically barren is a stark reality. This political sterilisation of J&K has brought the place to crossroads that it may find very difficult to negotiate anytime soon. Admittedly, the government had its limitations which became acute because of the political vacuum.

Delhi could not be oblivious to the open book of facts that anything going wrong in J&K is blamed on North and South Block and the powers that they represent. Now there are no co-sharers as the government is being run by Delhi and Delhi only.

This loss of image will hurt Delhi. It should know that there is no political narrative in J&K at the moment. There is silence in the Valley which is very difficult to be decoded. A few can draw their own meaning of this silence, that’s up to them. But the real meaning of silence as and when it is out will not be palatable for many who think that the things have been turned around.

This is the real time story, and if someone thinks that politics can be reduced to redundancy, they should give up their coloured glasses. Fearful things are in making.

Here is a chance for the Lt-Governor GC Murmu and his administration to create a fertile ground for political activities and elections. History will record and appreciate his efforts for the posterity.

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