AARYAN SHARMA
JAMMU: Absence of effective and acceptable State BJP leaders is adversely impacting the image of the party here in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ever-since street violence was reported from different parts of Kashmir valley in the aftermath of killing of HM terrorist Burhan Wani, the State BJP leaders are struggling to come to terms with the ground reality.
Initially they tried to stay put in Srinagar and attended to their routine office work but as the situation is showing no signs of improvement one by one the sitting BJP ministers shifted their ‘durbar’ to Jammu. Though some of these senior ministers have been making occasional rounds in Srinagar and attending important meetings chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti herself but most of them have been staying put in Jammu or keeping themselves busy in their constituencies.
In the absence of any political stalwart from the state who commands equal respect in Kashmir valley, the Centre is finding it difficult to bridge the gap and reach out to the political leaders to diffuse the crisis.
Due to long absence of political leadership, the Union Government is now feeling the heat. Its own image has been eroded in the eyes of the common Kashmiris, as they largely hold BJP-PDP alliance government chiefly responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation and not taking adequate measures to resolve the crisis situation.
On Thursday too, the BJP had to rush National General Secretary of the party to call on Governor NN Vohra in Srinagar to discuss the current political situation in the State. The meeting assumes significance as it was organised a day after opposition party leaders of Kashmir valley came under one roof and held deliberations at the residence of Working President of National Conference Omar Abdullah.
The opposition leaders decided to call on President of India and brief him about the current situation in the Kashmir valley. Apparently, the sitting BJP ministers and other state party leaders have totally failed to assess the ground situation and have not been able to brief the central leaders in New Delhi or they have been bypassed by the centre leadership as they themselves feel the current crop of leaders not capable of handling and assessing the precarious situation when intervention at the highest level is being sought to diffuse the current political stalemate and restore peace in the bruised valley.
