BLUNT BUTCHER
JAMMU: The pointed reference to poverty in a yesteryears’ graduation course essay fits well with overall psyche of the Peoples’ Democratic Party when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented 2016-17-Union Budget in Parliament. The essay goes on describing the evils of poverty as, ‘poverty is not a curse but to be known poor is a curse’.
Mehbooba Mufti must certainly be upset over today’s Budget which has nothing to offer for Jammu and Kashmir. After all economic push to the State was one of the Confidence Building Measures she had set as a condition for re-stitching alliance with the BJP. More than being hurt for not getting a face-saver to crown herself as a Chief Minister, she has a reason to feel embarrassed for the let down. National Conference is further making her embarrassment more pronounced. It is like adding salt to wounds.
Look at the premier opposition party of Jammu and Kashmir, which doesn’t bother to analyse the high or low points of the budget (which is going to impact the life of people in the state as well) but choses to hammer bête noire PDP for failing to get something for the State. The NC is not so ignorant about mechanism revolving round budgetary proposals or the role of any political party, least a regional party like PDP, in influencing the budget. However, given the stalemate in government formation after the demise of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, the expectations were high that the NDA Government at the Centre would offer some sort of olive branch to Mehbooba Mufti.
Taking optimum political mileage, National Conference expressed disappointment over lack of any special funds especially the expected Relief Package for J&K in the Union Budget and took jibe by saying this had further proven that PDP was in an alliance with the BJP for its own partisan interests and not for the political or economic interests of the State and its people. The main opposition party wondered over the promises made by the PDP leaders about something concrete for J&K in the Union Budget but failing in even getting a mention of J&K in the budget speech.
In a chiding sermon, the National Conference felt that the Union Budget was an opportunity for the PDP to ensure J&K gets an economic impetus viz-a-viz special funds that could be utilized to restore business confidence and increase the State’s output. “This ambiguity by PDP in terms of what its expectations are and what it has demanded from the Central Government is bizarre and calls into question the party’s intentions towards the State’s progress and prosperity. If the Union Budget can be taken to be an indication of PDP’s indifference towards the State in choosing not to seek economic justice, one can safely assume more letdowns and disappointment for J&K at the hands of the PDP-BJP Alliance in the future” National Conference declared.
The mood in Kashmir’s trade and commerce is nodifferent. The highly vocal social activist and a former captain of trade and commerce in the Valley Shakeel Qalander has stretched the budget proposal beyond proportion by saying that though Kashmiris had not much expectation from the BJP government, yet they had thought that for political objectives the ‘the BJP might announce something special for Jammu and Kashmir, but that was not to be”. This is almost common refrain in Kashmir and the observation that is going to hit the PDP most lies in the quote of Qalander, saying, “The Budget has proved that the GoI treats Kashmir with a discriminatory approach. People affected by flood have expected some relief to be announced but the GoI ignored them.” Budget 2016-17 has, therefore, limited the options for Mehbooba Mufti.
The PDP chief is aware how the Centre ditched and stabbed in the back her father during ten-months of ‘waywardness as Chief Minister’, as he wanted support for heralding a new era of peace and development. This was his agenda behind aligning the BJP. And, this was his blunder of taking the huge political risk at the end of his political career. But, what he got was a snub by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kashmir itself, who stunned the experienced statesman by saying he (Modi) did not want any advice from anybody (Mufti) on Kashmir.
The most unwarranted circumstance has repeated itself in just a few months with the BJP virtually snubbing and mocking Mehbooba Mufti by black-listing Jammu and Kashmir in next fiscal’s budget. This may serve as fewer shockers for the PDP but non-inclusion of any economic package for the State is a huge tremor for J&K BJP which finds all doors shut to their destination Civil Secretariat.