The only person now who can provide a modus vivendi in this lock jam in Jammu and Kashmir is Mufti Mohammad Sayeed: From my article today in the HT The 2014 election, the most credible and inclusive since 1977 is a vote for hope and change even while it may have ostensibly produced a fractured and polarised verdict. The real challenge, in the coming months, will be to meet the aspirations of the first-time voters, the young men and women of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, the three distinct parts of the state, who have reposed their faith in democracy in such large numbers. This will, of course, demand a strong partnership between the state and the Centre, no matter what shape the new coalition government may take in the coming days. While the politics of coalition formation may apparently seem messy, the most-likely next chief minister, the People’s Democratic Party’s Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (a former chief minister and a Union home minister) is not just one of the wisest political leaders in the state, he is also adept at managing even the most adversarial of partners. As a vice-chancellor to the University of Jammu, during his tenure as chief minister, I witnessed the manner in which Mufti Sahib was able to weave a coalition of the unlikely (including the ‘Jammu nationalist’ Panthers Party, the Congress, the CPI(M), parts of the Kashmiri ‘separatist’ People’s Conference) into a coherent government that had clear direction and meant business, while maintaining the most cordial and constructive relations with the BJP government of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the national level. A former Congress leader, Mufti also understands how to balance sub-regional, regional and national aspirations. The greatest disservice that the nation and the Congress did to him and the state was to ask him to step down in 2005, three years after being chief minister in the most bizarre power-sharing arrangement. There can be, of course, no question of that happening during this tenure. - See more at: hindustantimes/comment/analysis/kashmiris-on-a-shikara-of-renewed-hope-after-poll-result/article1-1299771.aspx#sthash.eDryVZg2.dpuf
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 13:00:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015