JAMMU: BJP’s dilemma over retaining the dignity of the party as well as remaining glued to power got exposed yet again with the Pradesh President Sat Sharma reacting strongly to the Guest Control Order issued by the PDP minister but his party ministers maintaining an intriguing silence.
The BJP ministers preferred to observe a criminal silence over the issue, perhaps for the lust of a few loaves of the power by surrendering not only own self respect but the prestige of the party as well.
Soon after PDP Minister Choudhary Zulfkar Ali announced restrictions on guest list, number of dishes and overall spending during marriage functions, State BJP Chief Sat Pal Sharma reacted strongly to the ‘diktat’ issued by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.
In his first reaction, Sharma claimed that the PDP minister had issued the Government Order without consulting alliance partner BJP over the sensitive issue. On the other hand, none of the sitting BJP ministers came forward to record their reservations over the innovative move to curtail the expenditures during the fat weddings and check wastage of food and other essential commodities. Ironically, the recent episode has also exposed the standing of the BJP in the alliance government.
Starting from hiking service tax for pilgrims taking helicopter rides, ignoring the demand for announcing holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, celebrating October 26 as Accession Day and announcing a State holiday and distribution of developmental funds under various central sponsored schemes, BJP leaders/ministers had to eat a humble pie while PDP ministers were able to establish their upmanship over their Jammu based alliance partner.
Till date BJP has also failed to dictate their own agenda or took unanimous decisions for the welfare of their voters.
The pace of developmental projects meant for boosting tourist/pilgrim traffic are going on at snail’s pace but BJP ministers neither raised their voice nor objected to the deliberate delays being caused in completing the dream projects including Tawi River Lake Front, Ropeway projects for various pilgrim/tourist destinations.
But when it comes to PDP the party had its way and ensured their core ideology was not compromised while conceding ground to the BJP while remaining in power. None of the BJP ministers had ever gathered enough courage to take a policy decision with regard to their ministeries. The issue of hoisting State flag, nativity/identity certificates to children of West Pak refugees, return of Kashmiri Pandits, allocating land for construction new housing colonies, awarding compensation to the next of kin of martyrs, BJP had to succumb before the Kashmir centric leadership.