In the season of elections different political parties unveil election manisfestos’ to make promises to voters but in Jammu & Kashmir state political parties contesting elections are known for making new promises by burying the old ones. In every election somewhere we find political defectors quitting one party and joining another just to draw proximity with the people expected to take over the reigns of the government. During this period such political opportunists pretend to be public sympathisers and after election get busy in looting the financial exchequer of government by abuse of power and authority. Unfortunate is the rise of political opportunism because of which victory of poll contestants is not determined by the genuine and legitimate promises made in election manifestos’ winning of election is not dependent upon the promises which are realistic but by the hollow slogans raised to divide the people along the religious, regional and ethnic lines . In election season poll contestant raise slogans matching suiting them for the reasons political convenience and conceal the bitter truth not suiting them in carrying forward their agenda of loot and plunder. In this battle of political conveniences only players have changed and consequently economically and socially deprived sections of the society are finding themselves at the receiving end.So in this scenario the poor are still dependent upon others for the loaf of bread. These are the people who are required to create crowd in the election rallies on the pretext of one time meal. For them there is no difference between the erstwhile colonial rule and the present democratic governance. The conflict over the Jammu & Kashmir state between India and Pakistan has proved to be blessing for the mainstream politicians who while taking undue advantage of more than six decade conflict are further their own petty political interests than safeguarding the interests of the people of their own state. By doing so the mainstream politicians have reduced democracy to an artificial arrangement to suit their own conveniences.
In our present political culture a political worker exploiting gullible people while in power tends to be the saviour of democracy but not a vigilant citizen who dares to raise voice of dissent against the political opportunism of the present day political turncoats in Jammu & Kashmir state.
Knowing that to contest election purely on developmental issues requires a competency which is beyond their reach for the reasons of facing severe charges of corruption the mainstream politicians have choosen to become political turncoats instead of seeking ways and means to firm up the roots of real democracy in the state. This is the reason that development issues take back seat in the season of elections and slogans raised to divide the people along religious, regional and ethnic lines are made more relevant for the elections in the state. If we dig deep to know who are the benificiaries of the developmental process in Jammu && Kashmir , it is shocking that the politicians ruling and representing the people are furthering the cause of economic interests of their own relations . So people have every reason to say that there is hardly any difference between democracy and colonial rule for cash starved Jammu & Kashmir state. Irony of the fact is that people of Jammu & Kashmir are being exploited by their own leaders who have reduced the democracy to merely a voter who is in great demand in the season of elections but not for rest of the six years politician rule the roost to loot the state exchequer. So in our present political culture a political worker exploiting gullible people while in power tends to be the saviour of democracy but not a vigilant citizen who dares to raise voice of dissent against the political opportunism of the present day political turncoats in Jammu & Kashmir state.
