Mehbooba in dissidence trap

The BJP’s decision of pulling out from the Mehbooba government followed by the overt and covert support of the saffron party to PDP rebels shows the worst form of political opportunism of the current political establishment in Delhi commanded and controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reluctance of the central government in conceding the demands for dissolution of the state assembly is an indication of a backstabbing plan the saffron party tends to execute in connivance with PDP rebels sometime after the amaranth yatra is over in the state. Ram Madhav the BJP National General Secretary called off the alliance with PDP the way Mehooba Mufti had called off alliance with the Congress party in the year 2008 to dethrone Gh Nabi Azad as Chief Minister of the state and interestingly the actions of Madhav against the Mehbooba led PDP in 2008 and that of Mehbooba Mufti against the Azad led Congress in 2008 show similarity in situations and intents. While the intent of Ram Madhav to announce pull out from the Mehbooba government on June 19 this year was to show BJP’s concern and respect for the annual amaranth yatra and saffron party’s intolerance on operations against militants in Kashmir, the intent of Mehbooba to pull out from Azad led Congress in the year 2008 in the aftermath of amaranth land row uprising was to show PDP’s intolerance against Delhi’s temptations to impose dictations on Kashmir centric political parties over contentious issues. Madhav’s tendencies to play politics over the conduct of yatra and operations against militants in Kashmir would by all probabilities prove counterproductive for BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and several parts of the other states of the country the way Mehbooba’s tendencies to play politics over the amaranth land row uprising in the year 2008 proved counter productive for the PDP in 2008 assembly elections.
Now after pull out from the Mehbooba government the BJP’s point man on Kashmir Ram Madhav would be virtually scripting the obituary of the prospect of his party’s realignment with any Kashmir centric political party in future. Madhav has to understand that creating a pressure group of few MLAs within PDP won’t give his party BJP the space it wants and tends to have in Kashmir valley. Already the impression brewing up in Kashmir about the working of BJP in alliance with PDP is that Ram Madhav and Amit Shah the BJP’s National President have disrupted the constructive engagement and instigated rebellion within the PDP to further the prospects of its political opportunism in Jammu & Kashmir the state where Congress is not remembered well for pulling down popular governments. The Central government has by keeping the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly in suspended animation virtually endorsed the views of its critics on Kashmir policy who largely believe that Delhi has disrupted the ongoing political engagement with PDP only to attract more criticism and condemnation of its directionless policy on Jammu & Kashmir. If the operations against the militants in Kashmir continue for som more time the BJP top brass would very soon find PDP Chief Mehbooba hitting streets with the people who throng encounter sites to foil the operations against the militants. Mehbooba Mufti has no doubt failed to deliver as Chief Minister of the state but her capacities as a political campaigner and return to the people she betrayed by allying with BJP can’t be questioned as it was she who prompted her father late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to quit national politics and lead a political campaign for offering the people of Kashmir an alternative to National Conference which once used to be the only mass based political party in Jammu & Kashmir state. Striking an emotional chord with the people of Kashmir even after going against the political sentiment in Kashmir is not a new challenge for Mehbooba Mufti as she was source of inspiration for her father late Mufti Mohammad Mohammad Sayeed for striking an emotional chord with the people of Kashmir from the day PDP was founded by him in the year 1998. Though National Conference leaders blame late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for most of the massacres during Governor’s rule under Jagmohan in early nineties in Kashmir and Mehbooba Mufti for more than hundred civilian killings in last two years but BJP’s overt and covert support to PDP rebels after the withdrawal of support to PDP is easing the challenges for Mehbooba Mufti after the fall of her government. The BJP’s Kashmir policy focused on operations against militants in Kashmir is resulting in killing of more civilians and less militants and consequently attracts condemnation both at the international and as well as local levels after the fall of Mehbooba government. The UNHRC report on killings in Kashmir days before the fall of Mehbooba government has already put Modi government to huge embarrassment in several debates at UN to the extent that India has now accused UNHRC of showing “bias” in its report and UN Chief of bypassing his mandate on Kashmir. So amid international and local criticism and condemnation over the killings of civilians in Kashmir the pull out is a big disadvantage for the BJP and a blessing in disguise for the PDP. Pull out by BJP gives Mehbooba Mufti the much desired freedom from the condemnation of the critics both within and outside the Jammu & Kashmir state and BJP’s backstabbing plan started with pull out and intensified with overt and covert support to PDP rebels gives Mehbooba Mufti a new agenda for striking a chord of political sentiment in Kashmir. BJP, in its pursuit of power and political opportunism after disrupting engagement with Kashmir’s PDP is now imperiling the security situation by allowing disproportionate use of force in Kashmir and pushing this troubled state into the worst phase of political anarchy by tending to ally with PDP rebels. PDP is obviously saved from a disastrous end but BJP seems to be heading for a situational collapse ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Jammu region.