Opposition parties' meeting, not that easy

News focus

Successfully holding the postponed meeting of all opposition parties of Jammu and Kashmir and making it result oriented is a tough task for those behind the move. According to senior CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, the meeting has to  discuss the issue of recent amendments to Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules 2019. It was scheduled on August 7 in Jammu but was postponed on the suggestion of National Conference (NC) President Dr Farooq Abdullah. No fresh date has been yet fixed for the meeting. However, Dr Farooq Abdullah told media persons on July 30 that the meeting will be surely held in August and that the date is being finalised and  would be announced accordingly.

Bringing all opposition parties again on one table and breaking the ice seems  difficult after what happened with the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and how its existing constituents or ex-constituents fought against each other in recent parliamentary polls. Some of them indulged in mud slinging.  There is hardly any possibility of these parties contesting the coming assembly polls jointly. Given the fate of such exercises in the past, the latest move too seems lacking credibility, publicly. But there are some people in political circles who say that there is nothing wrong in trying for a meeting and putting up a united and symbolic political face against the recent amendments. Most opposition political parties have strongly opposed the amendments made to Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules 2019. They described those as a step by the central government to reduce the powers of an elected Chief Minister and empower a Lieutenant Governor in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

However, it was Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari who first appealed to all political parties to jointly oppose the amendments and form a joint strategy to get a strong state of Jammu and Kashmir back. The plea was first ignored by the parties. Apni Party reiterated the appeal. After a few days Tarigami in a statement said that the meeting of all opposition parties will be held to discuss the issue and that all opposition parties have been invited.

Publicly no political party would like to be seen going against the unity efforts on political front. But they also know what can be the outcome of such moves.  Fate of the  PAGD is known to everybody. The  serious allegations leveled by parties against each other in parliamentary polls is very much fresh in public memory. Repetition of these allegations  is also possible in assembly elections. Some political circles believe that  such bickerings happen in politics or in election time. They say  whether such meetings lead to any fruitful results or not, but those atleast  send a message that “ we are not disintegrated yet and can join hands when the need arises.”

But there are others in the political set up who say that since J&K is passing through a critical time politically post August 5, 2019 decisions, people expect the parties to rise above partisan interests and work sincerely, and jointly. Most parties are not ready to do so as was evident in parliament polls and as same thing is bound to happen again in assembly polls also. Then what is the fun of conducting such cosmetic exercise and is this being done to make some irrelevant forces relevant, they ask.

Whether the meeting is held or not, and it succeeds or not, some major parties are trying to raise the issue in Jammu, BJP’s stronghold, also and that too just before assembly election. They want to tell the people there that on one side BJP is claiming to have a Chief Minister from there but on the other side they are trying to undermine his position through amendments. But can this type of strategy by opposition really work against  the BJP?

Amid these amendments and subsequent reactions, the political parties are also  reacting to media reports about the  banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI)  leaders considering  contesting the assembly polls if the ban on their organisation is lifted. The reports  have evoked a mixed response. Some welcoming and some opposing it . During the parliamentary polls when the news broke, NC Vice President Omar Abdullah welcomed it. Talking to media persons he said, “ It is good if Jamaat contests and contests with its symbol. Once they join the electoral fray we will also say what we think about them. In past elections there were reports of Jamaat supporting some parties or candidates. It will be good that if they themselves take part in polls. I appeal the government to lift ban on the party.”

However, Omar recently posted a news story of a national newspaper on X (earlier Twitter) and also highlighted one of its paragraphs which said, “Three-and-a-half decades after it spearheaded militancy in the Valley, the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir has decided to return to electoral politics. Jamaat leaders said they are only waiting for the Centre to lift the ban on the outfit, in place under the UAPA since February 2019, with sources saying that several rounds of talks have happened with the government.”

PDP President Mehbooba Mufti welcomed the media reports regarding Jamaat’s willingness to participate in elections. She said she would be happy if JeI takes part in elections and returns to national mainstream. “ In past JeI contested the polls and now reports say the party leaders are again thinking of  doing so. It is a good thing.  Together we will fight for the rights of the people,” she said.

Other parties including Apni Party, DPAP,  and CPI ( M)  also welcomed the reports regarding JeI’s possible participation in elections.

Political circles view that if JeI contests it can go against the political interests of traditional parties particularly PDP to some extent. It was being believed in political circles that Jamaat people used to vote for PDP  particularly in south Kashmir in past and that is why the party was able to head coalition governments twice in J&K. But there are others also who say that NC- Congress government from 2009 to 2014 too did not do anything which could have annoyed the Jamaat.  That way the support of Jamaat cadres for PDP dwindled with time.

Going by the assembly elections contested by Jamaat in the past , the party could not get large number of seats. Though it  could register its presence but  never  got the numbers even in the free and fair polls to form a government or be part of any government. NC always remained the dominant political force till 1987 assembly elections. However, its  opponents allege that the 1987 elections were rigged  on large scale by NC and Congress.

This time if Jamaat is allowed to contest assembly polls directly or indirectly, and if the party wins any seats, the tally of NC and PDP will get reduced. That can give an advantage to BJP, which intends to get majority or emerge as single largest party and form the government with the support of some like minded parties or MLAs from Kashmir. BJP for obvious reasons will not like to get any support from JeI or its MLAs  in government formation. But the NC and PDP getting weak electorally to some extent due to Jamaat participation can be an advantage to the BJP.

 Author is senior editor, Greater Kashmir