Though the low turnout in Srinagar bye polls has prompted the concerned citizens of India including the likes of former Home Minister P. Chidambaram a senior Congress leader and Yashwant Sinha the former foreign minister a senior leader to call for immediate political outreach to address growing alienation brewing up among youth in Kashmir, but unfortunately Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh warned youth resorting to stone pelting and sought one year time to change the situation in Kashmir. In a very sorry state of affairs the BJP leaders including those occupying key ministerial position in the Modi government are debating only the challenges of law and order confronting police, paramilitaries and army in Jammu & Kashmir but shy away from the crying demand for a political outreach both within and outside the country. Since last two years, the Modi government in Delhi and Mehbooba government in Jammu & Kashmir are only trying to control the law and order situation through pellets and bullets without tending to dig out the roots of last year’s unrest and non stop violent street protests killing and blinding dozens month after month. Early this month Prime Minister was expected to announce some sops for the victims of 2016 unrest but he talked about connecting Kashmir by roads and tunnels instead of hitting at the possibilities of offering some political concession for stabilization of the atmosphere of peace and security in the state. The low turnout in Srinagar bye polls on 9th April was a response to the hard posturing of the Prime Minister who is remembered in Kashmir for asking the former Chief Minister late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed not to give lessons to him either on engagement with Pakistan or separatist political groups in Kashmir.
As both P.Chidambaram and Yashwant Sinha the two top leaders of two largest national level political parties Congress and BJP have advised the Modi government from deep slumber and take immediate measures for political outreach in Jammu & Kashmir, it is now for top brass of the ruling PDP-BJP combine to redraw its strategy for restoring the faith of people in the working of the present government which has lost its mandate as proved beyond doubt by mere 6.5% turn out in Srinagar by polls on April 9.
Early this month when Prime Minister inaugurated the Chenani –Nashri tunnel constructed to shorten the distance between Jammu and Kashmir, he advised youth to prefer “tourism” over “terrorism” without referring to the public cries against the use of pellets by police and paramilitaries in crowd control policing in Kashmir. The overt and covert denial of political outreach in Kashmir and engagement with Pakistan over Kashmir centric issues including the opening of more travel and trade routes between the divided parts of Jammu & Kashmir is increasing the intensity of anger brewing among youth in Kashmir and parts of Chenab valley. As both P.Chidambaram and Yashwant Sinha the two top leaders of two largest national level political parties Congress and BJP have advised the Modi government from deep slumber and take immediate measures for political outreach in Jammu & Kashmir, it is now for top brass of the ruling PDP-BJP combine to redraw its strategy for restoring the faith of people in the working of the present government which has lost its mandate as proved beyond doubt by mere 6.5% turn out in Srinagar by polls on April 9.
