Demanding release of it’s few detained leaders in lieu for participation in panchayat bye elections in Jammu & Kashmir without any mention about it’s core political demands on restoration of article 370,article 35 A and statehood is by all probabilities a Himalayan climb down the National Conference has shown over it’s participation in panchayat bye elections. The demand for release of party’s political leaders detained under PSA won’t have become an issue of public debate in Jammu & Kashmir if the elections would have been scheduled either for lok sabha or assembly after restoration of statehood. Since the campaigning by top leaders is a compulsion only if assembly or lok sabha elections would have been schedule, the National Conference owes too many explanation for suspending core political demands for participation in panchayat bye elections and release of it’s top leaders . While the fact remains that not the top leaders of the party but it’s grass root level workers have to participate in the panchayat elections, question can be asked that has the National Conference dropped it’s core political demands including restoration of special status under article 370 and article 35 A and statehood just for the release of its top political leaders including Party President Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah presently detained under PSA. Even if the party claims that release of political leaders has been sought for the purposes of campaigning of party contestants in the upcoming panchayat elections the people reserve the right to ask National Conference that can’t the top leaders released by the government so for campaign for the party’s panchayat poll contestants in absence of two jailed leaders Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah. Willingness of National Conference to participate in panchayat bye polls for the release of it’s two top leaders detained under PSA without any mention about it’s core political demands has dropped an indication that the party won’t have no issues even to drop it’s core political demands for it’s participation in the assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir even as a union territory in the coming months.
Since National Conference can’t evade queries on the historical blunders the party committed during last seven decades of political turmoil in Jammu & Kashmir, better it would for the party top brass to clear it’s future course of action on the constitutional, institutional and administrative status of Jammu & Kashmir now called a union territory and not a state. Inconsistency on core political agenda has brought National Conference into disrepute and now is the time for the party to show consistency over core political demands instead of furthering the causes of political exploitation.
A political twist to participation in the panchayat bye elections has brought into disrepute the claims of National Conference about it’s stand on restoration of article 370, article 35 A and statehood. Since National Conference can’t evade queries on the historical blunders the party committed during last seven decades of political turmoil in Jammu & Kashmir, better it would for the party top brass to clear it’s future course of action on the constitutional, institutional and administrative status of Jammu & Kashmir now called a union territory and not a state. Inconsistency on core political agenda has brought National Conference into disrepute and now is the time for the party to show consistency over core political demands instead of furthering the causes of political exploitation.