After their release from several months of detention the Kashmir’s mainstream leaders since March last year have by the dint of their actions downgraded their politics from law making to panchayat governance as they talk about their role in Panchayat bodies rather than their representation in assembly the delimitation for which stands extended by one year. Defections for control over district development councils’ (DDCs) and fight for their powers, perks, and status shows that they are satisfied more with their representation in panchayats than their representation in the assembly the elections to which won’t be held before the completion of the delimitation exercise. Before the downgrading of the status of Jammu & Kashmir from a state to a union territory on August 5,2019 the mainstream parties used to take pride in defection of top leaders particularly former ministers and legislators but they have even downgraded the politics of defections by giving huge hype to the defections of the panchayat representatives whose background is doubtful in the eyes of the people. While in previous years the joining ceremonies of panchs and sarpanchs was never ever noticed by either people in politics or people in media but after the downgrading of the status of Jammu & Kashmir from a state to a union territory the newspapers published from Srinagar and Jammu are giving wide coverage to press releases issued by political parties about the joining ceremonies of panches, Sarpanches and DDC members. Mainstream leaders praising Prime Minister and Prime Minister himself praising them on their personal political conduct is the new norm of mainstream politics in Jammu & Kashmir after it’s downgrading to a union territory
Instead of hanging their heads in shame over the downgrading of the status of Jammu & Kashmir from a state to a union territory the top mainstream leaders have psychologically downgraded their politics by showing more interest in joining ceremonies of panchayat representatives and very less in the unity required for early restoration of the status of Jammu & Kashmir after it’s downgrading to a union territory.
Leaders of the top mainstream parties including the incumbent parliament members don’t bother to show resistance against new laws that are enforced in Jammu & Kashmir either through presidential ordinances ratified by the parliament later or executive orders issued from the Lt Governor day in and day out. Their silence over the enforcement of new laws on land and job rights shows that they are not guided by political aspirations of the people but by the psychology of power politics. They don’t sub bureaucrats for denying people their basic rights guaranteed under the constitution but they condemn them for denying municipal and panchayat representatives the right to intervention in the execution of civil construction works by the engineering departments and engineering wing of the rural development department. Lately DDC members threatened to resign en masse over their pay, perks and status but they don’t tend to do so to resist against encroachment of the employment and entrepreneurial rights of the local youth. How come the top leaders of the mainstream parties would dare to pull up DDC members for threatening to resign en masse over their individual rights when they themselves are desperate to grab opportunities of their self empowerment rather than fighting for the legislative and institutional empowerment of the people who vote for them . Instead of hanging their heads in shame over the downgrading of the status of Jammu & Kashmir from a state to a union territory the top mainstream leaders have psychologically downgraded their politics by showing more interest in joining ceremonies of panchayat representatives and very less in the unity required for early restoration of the status of Jammu & Kashmir after it’s downgrading to a union territory.
