On one side the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) bats for dialogue, smoothening of Cross LoC trade and political bonding between the two divided parts of Kashmir but on the other hand the party is completely silence on the central government irresponsible response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against article 35 A governing Jammu & Kashmir’s property rights act in the Supreme Court of the country. Though Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti during a seminar in Delhi said that tinkering with the article 35 A would mean no Kashmir would hoist tri-colour in Kashmir , but neither the Chief Minister nor the Law ministers has dared to take up the issue with the law ministry of the central government at the highest level. The words are contradicting the deeds of the Mehbooba Government and more so on issues concerning special status of the state. The parliament passing Collection of Statistics (Amendment) bill without the consent of Jammu & Kashmir as mandated by the law in the absence of PDP members is an indication of the PDP’s non seriousness on the special status of the state. Undeniable is also the fact that BJP Sunil Sethi in Jammu asserted that Article 35A of the Constitution which grants special status to the state “is not a sacred cow that cannot be touched” and this how BJP directly or indirectly has objected to the statement of Chief Minister Mehbooba who heads PDP-BJP coalition government in the state . Stunning for Mehbooba Mufti are the words Sunil Sethi the BJP spokesman used to object to the remark of the Chief Minister as he (BJP Spokesman) said “it is equally true that Article 35A has done more harm to the state than any other provision of law. We are greatly shocked and surprised by the statement of Mehbooba that by challenging Article 35A, the nationalist forces in the Valley get weakened and that…India will not get a shoulder to carry its national flag in the state. Article 370 was incorporated in Indian Constitution as a “temporary provision. It is not a sacred cow that cannot be touched”. Ironically even the national spokesperson of BJP termed the statement of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on artcle 35 A as “unfortunate and appeasing.”
What Chief Minister said at the PDP’s foundation day rally last was obviously a ploy to hoodwink people of Kashmir.Had the PDP shown any respect for the mandate the party got for its core political agenda, the party would have countered every action of the central BJP leadership and every word of the BJP men holding key positions both in the party and the government.
Interestingly none from the PDP dare to question the highly objectionable remarks of either Sunil Sethi the state BJP spokesman or the national spokesman of BJP. While BJP has mustered the courage to even opposed the remarks of the chief Chief Minister with the contention that Chief Minister’s remarks were against party’s ideology and mandate, the PDP does not dare to counter even a single statement of any BJP leaders over any issue concerning special status of the state. What Chief Minister said at the PDP’s foundation day rally last was obviously a ploy to hoodwink people of Kashmir. Had the PDP shown any respect for the mandate the party got for its core political agenda, the party would have countered every action of the central BJP leadership and every word of the BJP men holding key positions both in the party and the government.
