Government's call for working beyond political affiliations

At the beginning of the budget session of the legislative assembly on March 3,  the elected government made a plea to all parties to work together beyond political affiliations for the welfare and holistic development of Jammu and Kashmir. In the appeal it was also hoped that through the collective efforts  new milestones will be achieved and Jammu and Kashmir transformed into a beacon of peace, progress, and prosperity.  The plea was part of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha's address to the assembly.

The coming time will determine to what extent the ruling party was serious about its appeal and to what extent the opposition heeded to it. At this time there is a need for better coordination and understanding, based on sincerity between the ruling party and opposition and also between the elected government and centre for the betterment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. But are all the stakeholders really ready for such type of coordination and understanding or they will prefer party interests as usual,  will also become known later. Right now the focus is on the budget session proceedings and their outcome.

The LG's address described  the demand for the restoration of statehood  as one of the foremost aspirations of the people. The government stated that it is actively engaging with all stakeholders to facilitate this process of statehood restoration.

While the elected government will continue its efforts for statehood restoration, the discretion to restore the status finally lies with the central government. The centre has stated that the statehood will be restored at an appropriate time but has not revealed when exactly this appropriate time will come.

The LG's address also touched upon the status of various important sectors including health, education, tourism, economy, handicrafts, industries and development; also the government's roadmap for further improvement. The government also said that it is committed to the dignified rehabilitation  of Kashmiri migrants back into the Valley by ensuring  a safe and secure atmosphere.

While the treasury benches almost hailed the LG's address but it came under criticism by the opposition parties on various issues. This is also being reflected from the ongoing discussion by the legislators on the address in the House. The Kashmir based opposition says that a complete silence was observed by the ruling party in the LG's address on its  political agenda regarding restoration of Articles 370 and 35-A, on which the NC got votes and majority in assembly polls. According to the opposition the ruling party has completely given up its agenda and is adopting the BJP line.

During his brief interaction with media, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated that there is no need to bring the special status related resolution again  in the assembly as it has been already passed in last session.

Chief Minister was also asked about some reports that NC and BJP may form an alliance in Jammu and Kashmir. He ruled out formation of any such alliance saying there is no such necessity and secondly the ideologies of NC and BJP are entirely different.

Going by the present scenario there is no need either for NC or the BJP to have an alliance with each other. The option of forming a coalition government would have been there if the people in last year's assembly polls had given a fractured mandate and the assembly was hung. But this was not the case. NC got the majority on its own with the support of a few independent MLAs. Technically, the party did not even need the support of Congress, CPI (M) and Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP), who are supporting it from outside and are not part of the government.  Immediately after the formation of his government, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held meetings with central government leadership in New Delhi. After the meetings he said that he was assured that his government will not be destabilised and that BJP will play its role of an opposition party.

Now when the NC government is functioning  in the dual power system (though not comfortably), it would not like for political reasons to align with a party (BJP) whose government at centre abrogated Articles 370 and 35-A and bifurcated the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. Political observers say that joining hands with BJP would prove disastrous for NC. PDP has already paid a heavy price in 2024 assembly polls for forming a coalition government with BJP after 2014 assembly elections.

BJP which conducted the 2024 assembly polls' campaign in Jammu with a promise to have a Jammu Chief Minister  would not like now to share power with NC and with Omar Abdullah as the Chief Minister. During the elections, BJP kept on blaming the Abdullah, Mufti and Gandhi families for all ills in Jammu and Kashmir and had promised the people to give them a government free of  Abdullah, Mufti and Gandhi families. But this did not happen as NC got the majority. Now aligning with NC can prove counter productive for BJP in its stronghold, Jammu.

Since Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory, the NC government is not as powerful as it used to be in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Central government continues to have control over important matters through Lieutenant Governor. Political observers say that under all these circumstances not an alliance between NC and BJP seems needed or  possible. But what is required is a  better coordination and understanding based on sincerity and maturity between the central government and the J&K elected government. Such a coordination is in the interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. But can this coordination be possible when the ruling party at the centre is unhappy with the fact that it could not form its own government in Jammu and Kashmir despite taking all possible measures and making serious efforts, ask the observers. And on the other side the elected government here is sometimes feeling helpless and insecure  due to lack of adequate powers, and talking about Plan A  and Plan B if the statehood is not restored. But what is Plan A and Plan B, only  the top leadership of NC knows.

Author is senior editor, Greater Kashmir