Altaf Bukhari’s remarks that he won’t sell dreams shows that mainstream politics in Kashmir has become the casualty of trust deficit the onus of which lies on both the previous popular governments of Jammu & Kashmir and as well as the successive central governments’ most of whom were headed by the Congress the grand old party of country responsible for post partition political mess in Jammu & Kashmir. Categorical denial to sell dreams to people of Jammu & Kashmir is good for morality in politics but the leaders have to simultaneously show respect to the dreams of the people. History is witness to the fact that dreams of people come true if the leaders command trust of the people and don’t allow politics to become a casualty of trust deficit. With Farooq Abdullah the tallest mainstream leader and head of the oldest mainstream party National Conference publicly acknowledging it in one of his recent statements that the mainstream parties are paying a heavy price for going against the public currents in yesteryears, the political introspection for the purposes of restoration of public trust obviously remains the only option for mainstream parties in Jammu & Kashmir. So a denial to sell dream won’t give mainstream parties including both the likes of Farooq Abdullah and as well as the followers of Altaf Bukhari a license to go against the public currents in Jammu & Kashmir as it would only deepen the crisis of trust deficit and alienation. Interestingly the followers of both Altaf Bukhari and Farooq Abdullah have been the part of almost all the previous governments in Jammu & Kashmir and henceforth all of them are equally responsible for the deepening trust deficit.
Accusations and counter accusations for wining the ongoing DDC elections won’t take mainstream parties anywhere nearer to the end of non stop crisis of trust deficit but would instead further complicate the process of the revival of mainstream politics in Jammu & Kashmir.
Interestingly all the mainstream leaders have lost trust of the people because of tending to be the followers of the political parties in power at the centre but not of the people who vote them to power time and again. Had the mainstream parties choosen to become the masters of their own destiny instead of becoming the sponsors of the political parties in power at the centre, the situation won’t have brought them at the cross roads in Jammu & Kashmir. Accusations and counter accusations for wining the ongoing DDC elections won’t take mainstream parties anywhere nearer to the end of non stop crisis of trust deficit but would instead further complicate the process of the revival of mainstream politics in Jammu & Kashmir. Instead of going against the public currents and tending to drop at the gates of the central leadership with begging bowls in Delhi, the mainstream parties will have to show respect to peoples’ concerns atleast over their basic citizenship rights if at all they are interested in reviving the mainstream politics in Jammu and Kashmir.
