BLUNT BUTCHER
JAMMU: Had BJP ministers in Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet applied their mind during crucial meeting on 23rd June 2016, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti would have been saved of the huge embarrassment she underwent by sending the Land Laws (Amendment) Bill to Select Committee, thus giving enough fodder to the Opposition, especially National Conference to launch no holds barred campaign against her and the PDP? A Chief Minister, who is doing a great service to the people of the Valley and a wonderful job for the nation by exposing separatists’ hypocrisy besides waging war on all those running their enterprises at the cost of innocents’ blood, needed a solid support, more so from the coalition partner BJP rather than an ugly situation she was made to face. A wise enemy is better than an ignorant friend.
How can BJP justify its 30th June stance over the Bill, which got approved in the State Cabinet with big nod from its ministers, who were in possession of the agenda copies at least one day earlier of the meeting? Knowing well what the bill is all about, they should have raised objections and made the senior partner to defer it rather than going to the State Legislature for legislative sanction. For almost six days, the BJP ministers did not realize the fallout of the amendment, had it been passed by the State Legislature. This speaks how casual they are in their approach or how naïve are they in the state-craft.
The worrying aspect of the BJP’s silence in the Cabinet Meeting over this crucial bill is that either the Jammu based party is succumbing to whims and fantasies of the PDP just to remain in power or they are too ignorant about the decisions being taken for running affairs of the state. The later part is more worrying, as BJP is in the government with a huge mandate to safeguard interests of the Jammu region and to work for fulfilling aspirations of its people. Do they justify the mandate?
The trauma with the State BJP is the harsh realization that it is now and never for them to be in the government, which is why its ministers are submitting on every issue concerning Jammu. Take for instance the issue with regard to Artificial Tawi Lake Project. The then Chief Minister announced in the winter capital its abandonment in presence of several BJP ministers. They didn’t react. They did not even realize the consequences of this decision for several days when the media and people of this region raised alarm. It was only under pressure that some ministers went to Delhi and got SoS for the Chief Minister. Almost same was the scenario on day-one of the PDP-BJP Government Part-1, when secessionists, separatists, terrorists and Pakistan was praised for having facilitated smooth elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The newly inducted BJP ministers, who were present at the press conference, remained mute spectators.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP has been showing worse degree of insensitivity towards issues pertaining to the Jammu region, which gave historic support to the party that never crossed 11-mark in the Legislative Assembly. Courtesy charisma of Narendra Modi, the BJP swept Lok Sabha elections also in the region by bagging all the three seats. Such a huge support ought to have given much more vigour and confidence to the party but sequence of events, post formation of the coalition government, shows a different scenario. The disgusted and dejected Jammu electorate witnessed with helplessness the pathetic plight of its representatives over the issue of AIIMS in Jammu. The party faced three successful bandhs in its strong bastion. The situation had turned so hostile that the BJP ministers were finding their movement more comfortable in the Valley than in Jammu.
The latest flip-flop on the Land Laws (Amendment) Bill has hugely exposed the vulnerability of Jammu region at the hands of its representatives, who despite being in the government are unable to watch and safeguard its interests. The inexperience and perhaps lust of power has rendered the BJP squad as paper-tigers, which can roar but not anticipate the repercussions of decisions they have been taking as coalition partners in the government. Their political understanding and administrative capabilities have received a huge dent post Land Transfer Bill fiasco.