Vote sloganeering in Kashmir

Though low key campaigning due to the unending anger against last year’s civilian killing does not attract much attention to the electioneering in Srinagar and Anantnag lok sabha constituencies scheduled to go to polls on 9th and 15th April but sloganeering on Kashmir resolution and separatism by ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the main opposition parties National Conference and Congress has become the point of public debate. Knowing that during last seventy years false sloganeering has become the political tool for power struggle in Kashmir, people tend to make laughable arguments over the statements of National Conference, PDP and Congress over Kashmir issue. The tragedy with the people of Kashmir is that all the three political parties NC, Congress and PDP presently in fray for the lok sabha bye elections in Srinagar and Anatnag lok sabha constituencies have largely contributed to the erosion of  public faith in the working of the democratic system here in this only muslim majority state of the country. Since people know it better than the political parties contesting elections that government is conducted a name sake election exercise just to fill the two lok sabha seats that had fallen vacant by the resignations of PDP President and the incumbent Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Tariq Hameed Kara in the wake of his differences with the party over alliance with BJP, the people in almost all the areas of Srinagar and Anantnag lok sabha constituencies don’t tend to attend the election meetings conducted by the contesting parties in selective parts of  central and south Kashmir districts. The conduct of the election exercise to just fill the vacant Srinagar and Anantnag lok sabha constituencies is in fact tantamount rubbing the salt into wounds of those one hundred families who have lost their loved ones during crowd control policing in several parts of Kashmir valley.

Had these three contesting political parties PDP, National Conference and Congress been true to their words, the anger among youth won’t have fueled on the streets in Kashmir and hundreds of them won’t have fallen prey to pellets and bullets during last year’ unrest and summer unrest 2010.

While the PDP has the dubious distinction of denying a judicial probe to make a mockery of the justice delivery system in the state, the two main opposition parties National Conference and Congress too are equally responsible for the deepening Kashmir crisis and political instability in the state. The report cards of all the three contesting political parties National Conference, PDP and Congress is equally questionable and condemnable as the people know them by their actions. Now when these three main political parties are struggling for power in a worsening law and order scenario their leads tend to appease the voter by renewing the slogan they raised in election times in the past and divorced after taking over the reigns of power late. Had these three contesting political parties PDP, National Conference and Congress been true to their words, the anger among youth won’t have fueled on the streets in Kashmir and hundreds of them won’t have fallen prey to pellets and bullets during last year’ unrest and summer unrest 2010.