Can Mehbooba be the Indira Gandhi of Kashmir?
Daanish Bin Nabi
The life and times of Nehru-Indira and Mufti-Mehbooba appear
to bear likeness in many ways. Indira was shadow of her father from mid-1930s
till Nehru breathed his last. Indira learnt every trick and trade of politics
from her father. When Nehru was ill there were talks on who was going to replace
Nehru after he is gone. Speculations were rife that Indira would take over
Nehru once he escapes the political landscape. However, Indira did not and waited
for appropriate time to do so. She went on to hold India’s top post for almost
15 years.
In Kashmir context the situation is no different. Among the
new generation of politicians in Kashmir, Mehbooba is the only one who is a
grass root politician. She has gone through the thick and thin of Kashmir
politics under the aegis of seasoned political mentor late Mufti Sayeed.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the brain child of senior Mufti, won maximum
seats in 2014 assembly election and formed a coalition government with
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that had won majority seats from Jammu region.
Coalition Partners
PDP and BJP are ideologically opposite to each other. At the
time of forming the coalition, Mufti Sayeed had termed the BJP-PDP alliance as
coming together of “North Pole and South Pole.” But he was not able to bring
two poles together and died while trying to do so. The coalition of less than
10 months had thrown up more controversies than it did in creating an
atmosphere of development which was sold to Kashmiris as one of the reasons at
the formation of coalition with the BJP.
Mufti gave two reasons at the time of forming the coalition
with BJP. First, that Jammu entirely had voted for BJP and he did not want to
alienate Jammuities. Second, that by not forming a coalition with BJP, New
Delhi which was also occupied by BJP would stop providing the much needed funds
to Jammu Kashmir after devastating floods of 2014. These were two points which
were sold to a common Kashmiri for paving way to Hindutva ideology to enter
Kashmir. However, after less than 10 months of the formation of coalition
government both the points have come crumbling down. First, there is now more
alienation between the two divisions than it was before the coalition. The
minorities live in fear-psychosis as the Hindutva groups have an open field.
Even after bringing BJP to Jammu Kashmir no extra or special funds were
provided to Kashmiris as a part of flood rehabilitation funds.
PDP’s Internal
Discord
Opposite to what media has been feeding us, PDP’s leadership
has to face tough question daily from the party cadre and workers after forming
alliance with BJP. It is no secret that many senior leaders are not happy with the
alliance, prominent among them being Tariq Karra. There were also reports
saying that Mehbooba is not in talking-terms with Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal
Singh. The glaring examples of the discord between the party cadres can be seen
from performing of last rites of Mufti Sayeed where BJP members were missing.
As mentioned above, leaving media reports aside only
few-hundreds attended the funeral prayers of PDP patron Mufti Sayeed. It was
also reported that in the home town of Mufti Sayeed that is Bijbehara,
“Shopkeepers opened their shops and continued business unfazed even as Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) workers used public address systems to plead for a
shutdown. Repeated announcements made for shopkeepers to shut and be a part of
the funeral procession went unheeded.”
Credible sources inside “Fairview Residence” (residence of
Mehbooba Mufti) say that Mehbooba is not happy over meager attendance of people
at his father’s funeral. Many believe that PDP’s coalition partner is
responsible for all the mess in PDP.
Enters Mehbooba
It is said that ‘nothing is certain in politics’. In case of
Kashmir the saying has more value than any other place. With the death of an
astute Kashmiri politician the gaps are once wide open between the coalition
partners. As a good student, Mehbooba has borrowed some traits from her father.
When PDP won majority of seats after results were declared
in December 2014, for next two months that is January and February Mufti Sayeed
kept utmost silence and kept everyone guessing and did not talk to media as
well. Mehbooba from last four days now is doing the same as what her father did
back in January and February 2015.
When the change in guard in Jammu Kashmir started to make
rounds in the August 2015, Mehbooba had plainly refused to take over her
father. But by every means she has to
take over as the next chief minister of the state but the question still
remains whether she will take same coalition partners that is BJP or will
change her alliance partner remains to be seen.
Mehbooba’s Gambit
Sources also say that Mehbooba is not happy the way Prime Minister
Narendra Modi handled Mufti Sayeed’s last days in All India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS). If sources are to be believed Congress President
Sonia Gandhi visited Mehbooba thrice during those days while as Modi did not
visit even once apart from bidding farewell to Mufti Sayeed at Palam airport.
Sonia Gandhi visited Mehbooba on the chahrum
of Mufti Sayeed.
Sonia’s lieutenant and Congress old-guard Ghulam Nabi Azad,
has been with Mehbooba ever since Mufti Sayeed passed away sending a strong signal
in political circles across Kashmir. Speculations are rife in Kashmir that
Mehbooba may choose Congress over BJP now to resurrect herself and PDP in
Kashmir. As far as Kashmiris are concerned, they want BJP out of Jammu Kashmir
as soon as possible, so does the party cadre of PDP. If Mehbooba alliances her
party with Congress it will be a master stroke from her that will resurrect her
party and will also provide some sort of facing saving to party’s top brass and
ground cadre.
In Indian
politics, Indira Gandhi was the only politicians who worked with an iron-fist.
As things stand now Mehbooba seems to be following her footsteps. Can Mehbooba
be the next Indira of Kashmir only time will tell?
The author can be
mailed at daanishnabi@gmail.com
