Nayeem’s blind faith in BJP leadership

Doubtlessly BJP’s impressive election victory in North Easten states demonstrates the party’s strength at the grass roots all over the country –from North to South, East to West but the expectations of PDP that Narendra Modi led BJP government at the centre would change its present policy on Kashmir are unlikely to come true and the reasons for BJP not to change its political narrative on Kashmir are quite obvious. Ever since the unrest erupted in Kashmir after the killing of top Hizb Commander Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016 the BJP has not taken well any advice either from the ally PDP or from the civil society groups visiting Kashmir. Top BJP central leaders have several times reiterated the incumbent central government’s total refrain from engagement with the separatists till they agree to talk within Indian and resumption of dialogue with Pakistan till it acts against those put on ‘wanted list’ by New Delhi. Even naives can understand that the victory of BJP in North Eastern states would generate hopes of change in the BJP’s political narrative on north eastern states only but not on Kashmir. No election victory could be as massive as it was in Utter Pradesh the most populous state of the country for the BJP but that massive election victory too could not prompt the central BJP leadership to show change on its political narrative in Kashmir.
Knowing that the incumbent BJP government at the centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead taking advice of the Mehbooba government on dealing with the shelling hit border populations in Jammu & Kashmir has started taking action on its own narrative by releasing adequate funds for the construction of bunkers in border areas frequently hit by shelling on borders in the state. Interestingly Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had said in the state assembly that no bunkers but the dialogue with Pakistan can bring respite to border residents in Jammu & Kashmir but not else than the BJP National General Secretary responded to Mehbooba’s demand with the argument that taking a decision on resumption of dialogue with Pakistan is the domain of the Government of India and not the Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister. So when the BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav has categorically ruled out the possibility of accepting any advice from the Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister on the resumption of dialogue with Pakistan only few days back, the remark of PDP Minister Nayeem Akhter that Modi government would show change on its political narrative on Jammu & Kashmir in the aftermath of BJP’s impressive victory like his all other statements is unlikely to sell like hot cakes in Kashmir.