Knowing that without resumption of bilateral dialogue with Pakistan and unconditional engagement with the joint separatist leadership India can’t restore calm in Kashmir by denying political space to dissenting voices in valley and increasing deployment of police and paramilitaries in populated areas. Surprisingly Home Minister Rajnath Singh has discussed the worsening law and order situation in Kashmir with Governor N.N Vohra twice in last one week but the recent meeting of both Prime Minister and Home Minister with the elected Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti ended with a categorical denial to her demand for political outreach in Kashmir. Till yesterday Chief Minister was expecting a magical response on her demand for dialogue with the joint separatist leadership and Pakistan government but now all expectations of Chief Minister have been belied by the proactive remarks of the Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP Chief Amit Shah and All India BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav who is known for stitching the alliance with PDP for the formation of the incumbent PDP-BJP coalition government in the state. Though political morality demands that allies coming together to run a government show respect for the agreements on all issues but both the local and central BJP leadership right from the day one has only shown disrespect to the agreements reached with PDP on some key political issues standing at the core of difficulties in relations of the successive popular governments of Jammu & Kashmir with the successive central governments.
As the Chief Minister is the genuine representative of the people of the state in the eyes of the central government, the BJP top brass has no point to defend itself on rejecting the demands of an elected Chief Minister on issues concerning political stability and restoration of peace in the state. This is absolutely Modi government’s indefensible defence on Kashmir crisis.
Ironically BJP presently running the government at the centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is talking much about the Vajpayee doctrine on engagement with the separatists and government of Pakistan but is outrightly rejecting the rising demands of political outreach in Jammu & Kashmir and resumption of dialogue with Pakistan. As of now BJP top brass has put Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in such a precarious situation that even PDP legislators have started questioning the purpose of continuing alliance with BJP in presence of intolerable provocation of both central and local BJP leadership on host of issues. The rising public anger against the BJP’s provocations has not only disconnected PDP from grass roots in Kashmir but all the mainstream leaders have been rendered irrelevant. Now differences are simmering within the PDP over its present approach on alliance with BJP and before party cadres force Chief Minister to end PDP’s alliance with BJP it is time for BJP top brass to show flexibility on Chief Minister’s demand for political outreach in Jammu & Kashmir and engagement with Pakistan government. As the Chief Minister is the genuine representative of the people of the state in the eyes of the central government, the BJP top brass has no point to defend itself on rejecting the demands of an elected Chief Minister on issues concerning political stability and restoration of peace in the state. This is absolutely Modi government’s indefensible defence on Kashmir crisis.
