Er P L Khushu
Political adjustments in Jammu and Kashmir may take a different turn with the flouting of a new political party known as Democratic Azad Party Ghulam Nabi Azad. He had resigned from all positions in the Congress, including its primary membership, by describing former Congress President Rahul Gandhi as ‘immature’ and ‘childish’ and accusing leadership of ‘foisting a non-serious individual’ at the helm of the party. It appears that his adversaries say the he has turned from a loyalist to a rebel. This may be correct to some extent in a positive sense for the people of country in general and for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in particular. Probably due to the extreme humiliation which such a committed pillar of All India Congress Committee is supposed to have been subjected to, can be a reasonable cause for the same. His humiliation has been done at the behest of the dynasty residents of the congress party, to retain its ruler ship, least knowing that the congress ship has almost sunk. The veteran Congressman Ghulam Nabi Azad, a constant fixture in the organization’s decision-making process since the tumultuous times of emergency, finally fell out with his mother-party after a not-so-smooth relationship with the top brass during past couple of years. “The situation has become irretrievable,” Azad said in his parting shot to Sonia Gandhi, whose trusted confidante, he remained right from the time of Sitaram Kesri’s unceremonious exit as party’s chief in 2000. He is being accused by Congress that he has betrayed party, while leaving at a crucial hour, when Congress has launched 3,500 kilometers long nationwide Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began on September 7, 2022 from Kanyakumari led by Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi’s advisors seem to have convinced him that a much publicized nationwide foot march Padayatra is the best way to elevate him and his march to the same level as the Dandi march, undertaken by M K Gandhi, almost a century back. A maniac thought, while comparing the ‘Dandi-March’ with this ‘Yatra’. A wishful day-dreaming by sycophants around Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Such like propositions by the kitchen cabinet of Gandhis and around Gandhis is almost like performing the last rites of the congress party which is its own architect of its present doom. Congress has almost shrunk. A symbolic ‘Yatra’ across the contours of India should have been led by some other matured congress leader, other than Rahul Gandhi, from the residual lot of Congress men who are still clinched to this dynasty dominated political party of India. Rahul Gandhi is ridiculing his political ridicule to mock and the jocular clapping of the Indians across the country. ‘God Save the King, the King is Dead’, a famous proverb fits in here.
With the exit of Gulam nabi Azad from the Congress and forming a new political party in Jammu and Kashmir, new political alignments are expected in Jammu and Kashmir, as the elections to the assembly of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir are on the cards any time now. The curly wings of power for politicians make them to choose any form of approach in the name of a fiasco of democracy, to be in power as also to look to be in political power. It should not make any new adventure for J&K as far as people of Jammu & Kashmir are concerned. It will be like ‘Old wine in new bottles’. Azad was the 7th Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir and remained on post from 2005 to 2008. Probably too much need not derived about it. Some of the loyalists of the G-23 group of the rebel congress political leaders are susceptible to think that Azad has betrayed their trust, by abandoning G-23 group for his personnel interests. It is said that the opportunists left it for personal gains and interest somewhere else. It is unfortunate for the G-23 group, when Azad, the originator of this rebel group had given a further shape to it, on soil of Jammu when this group led by Azad held big public gathering wearing traditional turbans of Dogra culture in Jammu.
Rumors are abuzz in Jammu and Kashmir, through the Azad loyalists that he will be become the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, after the assembly elections to the union territory are held, which are speculatively on the cards. It is a situation to be watched and waited. Instantaneous observations by the Azad loyalists can be a wishful thinking, though it will be welcome if Azad gets the reigns of governance of Jammu and Kashmir. Will it happen, only time will decide? It is a difficult question to be replied. One thing in this regard is certain that if left to itself, the political party which Azad has formed, will in no case be able to garner so much mandate from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, to get a clear majority in the assembly elections to make a government on its own and become its chief minister. The writing on the wall is clear in this regard. The popularity of national conference in the valley or even some belts in Jammu cannot be under mined by any standard of the political strength of the various political parties of Jammu & Kashmir. Congress party and PDP are now almost insignificant, yet, these political parties cannot be written off. It is the case with the other smaller regional political parties of Jammu & Kashmir province too. All these political parties have a capacity to gather some seats in the ensuing elections. BJP has certainly a commanding hold in Jammu and some prominent belts around Jammu. In fact, BJP will now possibly be in a better position, after delimitation commission finalized the delimitation order. It mentions that nine seats are reserved for STs, for the first time. All five Parliamentary Constituencies to have equal number of Assembly Constituencies for the first time. Of the 90 Assembly Constituencies, 43 will be part of Jammu region and 47 for Kashmir region. The Commission has recommended additional seats in assembly for Kashmiri migrants and displaced persons from Pak occupied J&K. It is quite favorable for Jammu for the new elections to come, for both the assembly and parliament elections. Azad definitely commands his writ amongst the people of Jammu and Kashmir for his popularity, but to what extent it will work for garnering assembly seats for his new anticipated party is a matter of guess and speculation.
While gauging the political career of Azad as a renowned politician from J&K, it shows more or less his political attributes and contributions to the nation building are mostly through Rajya Sabha. He was elected to the 7th Lok Sabha from Maharashtra’s Washim in 1980, and entered into the Central Government as the Deputy Minister in charge of Law, Justice, and Company Affairs Ministry in 1982. Subsequently, he was again elected to the 8th Lok Sabha in 1984. He was a member of Rajya Sabha from 1990-1996, from Maharashtra. That shows his political tenure of about 15 years had links with Maharashtra. He was elected to Rajya Sabha for the first time from Jammu and Kashmir from 1996 to 2002 and then again in 2002 to 2008, but he resigned from the Rajya Sabha, to become Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in November -2005. In March 2014, Azad lost the parliamentary elections from Udhampur constituency in his native Jammu to Devender Singh Rana. His tenure of three years as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir was cut short by about three months in the wake of Amarnath land row that struck Kashmir and Jammu divisions in opposing directions. In 2015, he again was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir, despite the PDP-BJP alliance holding a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. His journey to political lime light in the democratic set ups of various elections of the times involved with his rise in politics apparatus of this country, has mostly been through his elections as an MP for Rajya Sabha, when he contested the parliamentary elections twice only which he won with pride, but from Maharashtra. People are very sharp these now. Simultaneously counting by all the standards of his political acumen, he has served this nation as a minister of the central cabinet on most important portfolios. It certainly goes to his credit, as renowned politician. While as it is expected in the political circles of Jammu and Kashmir, that his new political party, will surely be a force to be reckoned with. How the equation of power sharing will come to surface have apparently certain dimensions, which may be queer. Some Congress men at the national level are accusing Azad of getting ‘Modi-fied’, as an emotional scene was witnessed some time back in the Rajya-Sabha, when the Prime Minister Modi showered enough of praises along with nonstop tears in his eyes, on Azad in his capacity as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir at that point of time, for his act of extreme concern for the tourists of Gujarat in Jammu and Kashmir, when some of them became the targets of the terror attacks of the terrorists in Srinagar. It happened on the occasion of Azad’s completing his term as the leader of opposition of the Rajya Sabha. In any, case Azad has already declared that his new political party will work for the development of the state as also for the welfare of the people of the state, with a new vigor amongst other positive measures in this regard. He is on record to have said that he will work for the return of the Kashmiri Pandits too back to valley. However, displaced Kashmiri Pandits, the victims of the genocide and cruel displacement from their homes and hearths, at the hands of the Islamic fundamentalists will welcome any such move by Azad, for their rehabilitation back to valley. Better late than never, is a wise proverb here.
(The author is a Chartered Consultant Civil Engineer, passionately attached and devoted to his motherland Jammu & Kashmir).
