Politics of discrediting others

Usually, most senior politicians have the tendency of taking credit for whatever goes right during their rule and blaming others for whatever goes wrong. Jammu and Kashmir is no exception. Regional politicians here follow the same pattern.

At national level, the BJP started emerging strong during the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and formed coalition government with other parties at the centre. Later, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the party emerged strongest  and is dominating the political scene at the national level and in most states in a big way.

Despite serious political differences,  the regional parties getting closer to the ruling national party and becoming part of governments in the states or at the centre has happened in past, does happen at present and  will also happen in future. Having cordial relations with the national ruling party is a desire or wish of the regional parties as long as it is in their political interests.

In past, National Conference was part of BJP led NDA coalition government under Vajpayee at centre. PDP also formed a coalition government with the BJP in J&K after 2014 assembly polls. There are leaders in other parties right now who were ministers or legislators in the PDP- BJP government. There are also several senior leaders, who despite the apparent political differences, have very cordial relations with central government leadership.

Like some other major parties, BJP too is a big reality in Jammu and Kashmir politics now. In fact it is working hard to become the most dominant political party here. In past it had formed a coalition government with the PDP but now it wants to form its own government. Inspite of the growing influence of the BJP on the ground , several political parties in Kashmir keep on accusing their rivals of having some kind of link with the ruling national party to score political points. By doing so, the parties attempt to discredit the rival parties and politicians. Interestingly, such allegations are being levelled even by those parties and leaders too who in past were part of the government with the BJP in J&K or at the centre.

As the Lok Sabha polls, scheduled to be held in April- May next year, get nearer such allegations and counter allegations would gain further momentum. National Conference and PDP have been accusing the newly formed political parties of being A or B teams of the BJP to cause division among the non- BJP votes in polls. The new parties in turn remind the NC and PDP about they being in the government with the BJP in past.

BJP on its part is working hard to get some kind of political base and space in Kashmir. Its leaders from Jammu and Delhi keep on coming here and trying to reach out to the people. They do get a positive response as well at a number of places. However, a narrative being built by rival parties that ground is slipping from under the feet of BJP in Jammu, is making the national party somewhat uncomfortable. Since, no elections were held in Jammu for last several years,  the claims by opposition parties could not be authenticated.  But some developments in Jammu in recent past were not on the expected lines for the BJP. Many political circles believe that delay in polls is also because of the BJP losing grip over Jammu.

Whatever be their open arrangement with the BJP in future,  right now the political parties in Kashmir do not like to get tagged by the opponents with the ruling national party. They fear loss of electoral gains with this kind of image. Even the leader of the stature of Ghulam Nabi Azad does not like to be projected by rivals of  having any kind of understanding with the BJP. Recently, he lashed out at both- the NC and PDP for linking him with the BJP. He said he was never in government with BJP, but these two parties were.

Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari too reacts strongly whenever being alleged of having some kind of understanding with the BJP. He in particular is targeted by NC , PDP and Congress. Recently, he said Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and PDP were responsible for bringing BJP into Kashmir. Reacting to this Omar said it is true that PDP brought BJP into Kashmir but Altaf Bukhari too is  responsible as he was a minister in the PDP- BJP coalition government. He told Bukhari to clarify his position first before blaming PDP for its association with the BJP.

For last two weeks, both Omar and Bukhari besides a senior leader of Apni Party Ghulam Hassan Mir are engaged in a verbal political duel over a number of issues. This  all started with a public rally addressed by Omar in Tangmarg. He accused Mir of having tried to destabilise his government in past. Omar was the chief minister from 2008 to 2014. At that time Mir was also a cabinet minister in  Omar led government  from Congress quota. Interestingly,  Omar had bailed out Mir and defended him after a report in 2013 claimed that the politician had received funds to destabilise the then state government.  Even the former army chief Gen V K Singh in an interview had refuted the claims made in the report and strongly denied that money was given to Mir to topple the Omar Abdullah government. He added that whatever money was given to politicians or NGOs,  it  was  for the  welfare programmes. After the report,  senior NC leaders, Ali Mohammad Sagar and Dr Mustafa Kamal had demanded Mir' s resignation from cabinet but Omar did not press for it. However, recently at Tangmarg he racked up the issue again and tried to criticise Mir.

Reacting strongly,  Altaf Bukhari told Omar that it was Mir who safeguard his chief minister post in 2010 , otherwise PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had almost ensured to get his government dismissed by centre." When Omar sahab was not able to move out of his residence due to the situation , Mir sahab  took him and others to Tangmarg and organised an interaction with people there. This saved Omar sahab's chair, " the Apni Party  President said. Bukhari was referring to the visit of a national level all party delegation headed by the then union home minister P Chidambaram to Tangmarg, where Ghulam Hassan Mir, had organised an interaction with the local people.

Omar later hit back at Bukhari, though on a different issue,  by asking him to clarify his position first on being a minister in PDP- BJP government  when he blames PDP for joining hands with the BJP for government formation.

Later, Apni Party leader Muntazir Mohi-u-Din said that Bukhari was against PDP forming the government with BJP. " This is evident from Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's press interaction some time after the government formation in which he clearly said how much opposed Bukhari sahab was, " he said.

Amid these allegations and counter allegations by the political parties in Kashmir, BJP would surely like to gain a  strong foothold here and emerge as a strong political party so that it does not need the support of other parties for government formation. Only time will tell that  how easy or difficult will be that journey for the BJP here in presence of other major political parties.