Dost Khan
JAMMU: Bharatiya Janata Party is not showing any sign of enthusiasm or ferocity with regard to holding or participating in the civic polls in Jammu and Kashmir, which Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had announced to be held in March-April this year? Essentially a BJP subject, because of Housing and Urban Development portfolio being held by its nominee, the party has landed itself far from the actual scene. Virtually, there is no activity or thrill on ground-zero, which was galore in huge measure ahead of the 2013-14 parliamentary and assembly elections. On the contrary, there is a sort of simmering disenchantment among the grass-root level workers and which is why the managers want to get the proposed elections deferred.
Why is it so that the party which created history of sorts during 2014 assembly elections does not want to face the electorate right away? It did not only won 25 plus 1 seat hands despite those elected not known in next doors of their vicinities but got placed in the driver’s seat to form the government. Many of the elected were just politically novice, with some carrying the jinx of never ever having won any election. Narendra Modi factor, however, made all the difference that saw ‘mares getting go’. Now the scenario has drastically changed.
The fear of facing electorate in the state unit of BJP is not only because the party faired disastrously bad in the Bihar elections or the Gujarat civic polls but it is much more than that. The ego-clash and arrogance of power beholders has taken toll of the saffron outfit that remained deeply rooted in Jammu region for more than six decades. That was perhaps the era when none in the party rank and file had ever thought of getting bitten by power bug. In the state politics, rising to power of BJP is as surprising and shocking for the party as the political spectrum that is largely Kashmir centric. And when this ‘inevitable’ happened, many of the elected legislators lost their equilibrium. Such was the state of their imbalance that they lost feet with ground. They continue to suffer from this syndrome, as power intoxication has not allowed them to see beyond their ‘rehabilitated families and friends’ or the ‘corridors of power’. In the dust swept by their speedy sedans, they could not see common people suffering due to broken promises, lack of development and fragility of services. They jumped much ahead of the people and lost connect, which has started boomeranging. Feedback coming from the ground level has unnerved the lot.
The contempt and venom among Jammuites against their chosen representatives has started giving