Of Promises and Politics

J&K is going to Assembly Elections after a decade of political vacuum. It brings joy to the regional political parties, but at the same time alive the memories of political injustice the common people have suffered for decades. This scenario also brings back the glimpse of the 1987 elections.

The turmoil that gripped Kashmir for over three decades has made the people politically and emotionally mature. It helps a person to understand the dynamics of this election process, the agendas, the manifestos well.

This assembly election in J&K is something to ponder upon, while we need to revisit the history of our former elected governments. For any democracy to function properly and in the interest of the people the basics need to be followed. The grassroots level democracy (panchayat, corporates) must be made strong. If this is ignored and all power is given to the highest level, failure is inevitable.

Alliance of National Conference and Congress

Even though both the parties have been in bed for over 60 years, yet the alliance had to be dramatized during this election process by the visits of the Senior Congress leaders to play with the emotions of the people; and portray that they are the “only solution”. This relationship has proved fatal in the past and may prove brutal this time around as the hunger for the power has been there for long.

The Jamat-e-Islami Factor

It’s not a hidden that Jamat-e-Islami has shown interest in this election process and they have shared long ties with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the past. If PDP and Jamat decide to pitch independent candidates from different constituencies (not to forget that Kashmir is a Muslim majority) and the impact of the religious organizations plays a pivotal role in the election process, then the scenario changes for both the NC-Congress alliance and Bhartiya Janata Party. The success of the this PDP/Jamat alliance will be surprising and interesting for everyone and it might change the dynamics of the politics in J&K forever.

The Silence of Ghulam Nabi Azad

While all political parties have publicised manifesto in their own ways, the silence of the veteran politician who has served the democracy at the highest level is deafening. Ghulam Nabi Azad’s party DPAP may have taken a blow in the Parliamentary Election in the south and central Kashmir, but it’s no secret that they openly vouched for Engineer Rashid’s campaign in the North Kashmir. The silence of Ghulam Nabi Azad and the result of Engineer Rashid bail plea speaks volumes in itself.

The Good Old Dangling Carrot: Manifesto

The regional parties have published their manifestos and yet again after decades the old wine is being sold in new bottles, the same carrot is being dangled in front of the people. The innocence of the Kashmiri people is being exploited again and a recipe for betrayal is being cooked. At the same time the people of Kashmir understand that the fictional promises that are pleasing to eyes and ears are impossible to implement, yet people of Kashmir will vote. Most of the issues mentioned by the regional parties are no issues in the first place, nor have they been adopted.

Status Quo

Hundreds of leaders came, thousands of promises were made, some ruled Kashmir over decades, some wanted to turn Kashmir into Europe. Kashmiri people do not require mega and giga projects, what they want is  their basic needs to be fulfilled. Each time a political party contests an election it makes promises but when the time for delivery comes, it doesn’t even entertain its own political workers, let alone common people. This has been and will always be a sad reality of Kashmir.

The Manifesto Kashmir Awaits

• Sustainable development and growth, in terms of basic infrastructure
• Implementation of clean and green energy to ensure low electricity tariffs
• Global employment opportunities program for the youth, 1 lac youth to be provided jobs in MNCs, nationally and internationally
• Upgrade of medical infrastructure (hospitals, dialysis centers, emergency ambulances, children's hospitals)
• Financial awareness to be included in school curriculum
• Privatization of primary education
• Rehabilitation policy for youth who are in jails
• Formulation of stringent laws against drug peddlers and drug abusers
• Formulation of laws for wage protection of private employees
• Subsidized life-saving medicines on golden cards at the cap of Rs. 25000/= per household
• One time benefit for reservation category either during studies, job application or promotion.
• To bring back the lost glory of the Kashmiri handicrafts and uplift of the artisans associated with it.
• To channel a centralized system for direct Business to Customer dealing particularly for the local vendors considering the effects of the growing E-commerce on the conventional businesses.
• To streamline land buying and selling process