President Peoples Democratic Party and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in response to Omar Abdullah’s recent remark on the agenda of Shah Faesal for his new party Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM) recently told Omar not to think that Jammu and Kashmir is the “family estate” of Abdullah dynasty the first political family of Jammu & Kashmir. Though the Mehbooba’s remark is unchallengeable on several counts but fact remains that Mehbooba herself broke all previous records of dynasty promotion policy during her short stint of just two years as Chief Minister of PDP-BJP coalition government in the state. Unforgettable is also the fact that Mehbooba is the Chief Minister who brought her cinematographer brother over the heads of very senior leaders of her party and not only nominated him as Member Legislative Council (MLC) but also inducted him into her cabinet with prized portfolio of tourism. Mehbooba may or may not agree but fact also remains that offering cabinet berth to his brother who could not even correctly spell the written draft of oath he took from then Governor N N Vohra was one of the main causes of the unending dissension within her party (PDP) after BJP withdrew support to her and governor’s rule was imposed in the state. Ironically Mehbooba was also the chief minister who appointed one of her most trusted party leader as Vice Chairman Jammu & Kashmir Khadi and Village Industries Board (J&K KVIB) to engineer illegality in the recruitment process just to facilitate the induction of her maternal brother into J&K KVIB on coveted position of Executive Officer. Not only as Chief Minister of the state but also as party president Mehbooba brought her close family relations on coveted positions as she choose to offer the post of vice presidency to her maternal uncle Sartaj Madni who was dislodged only after the dissident leaders raised objection over his appointment as party’s vice president after the fall of PDP-BJP government.
By all her actions she has broken all the records of dynasty promotion policy which National Conference founder late Sheik Mohammad Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah set previously and as such does not reserve the right to deliver sermons on the tendencies of Omar to challenge the rise of other regional voices in Kashmir’s mainstream politics.
Mehbooba choose to offer the position of party’s chief patron to party’s old guard Muzaffar Hussain only after he raised a banner of revolt and threatened to quit the party and join Sajad Lone led Peoples Conference. So by all her actions she has broken all the records of dynasty promotion policy which National Conference founder late Sheik Mohammad Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah set previously and as such does not reserve the right to deliver sermons on the tendencies of Omar to challenge the rise of other regional voices in Kashmir’s mainstream politics.
