Jammu and Kashmir: Life under governor's rule
Rumours have finally died down in the Valley. Earlier people were curious to know who the People's Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed meets and whom he avoids. Whether he watches popular Pakistani serials on Zee Zindagi or Indian soap operas on Star TV. But now that curiosity too has faded.
Workless elected MLAs of the Legislative Assembly are finding it hard to kill time. There is no snow in Kashmir. Since there is no snowfall there is no point in going to Gulmarg. The worklessness has created so much desperation that when the NC working president Omar Abdullah heard today about slight snowfall in Gulmarg he rushed to the picturesque tourist spot.
These are really hard times for the newly elected MLAs in Jammu and Kashmir especially in Kashmir. Some of them are either seen in newspaper offices or in hotels discussing China and America, Islam and the West and whether the AAP will defeat the BJP in Delhi and what will be its implications on Jammu and Kashmir.
However, some elected members are visiting Governor NN Vohra to discuss the political scenario of the state in aftermath of the elections. The governor as usual listens to them patiently and in the evening Raj Bhawan releases a press statement about the visit. The press statements usually says the governor “wished the legislator well and urged him to devotedly pursue the developmental issues relating to his constituency”.
The legislators who don’t visit the governor prefer to appeal to him through press statements that he should take care of this area and that issue. Some even urge the governor to not sign this order or that.
Even defeated MLAs like Ghulam Hassan Mir, who has been minister in all governments from 2002-14 also visited the governor to discuss, perhaps, the political and strategic implications of his defeat.
Three weeks ago Kashmir was abuzz with rumours about government formation. One rumour was Omar Abdullah’s National Conference and the BJP would form a government in a few days. Then there was another rumour that the BJP and the People's Democratic Party were about to form a government. Then there was a rumour that Amitabh Mattoo and Sumeer Koul were negotiating with the BJP on behalf of the PDP. Mattoo denied the rumours on Facebook and Koul has disappeared altogether from media scene.
Another weak rumour was that the Congress and the PDP along with a few independents would form the government. And that the Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Saifuddin Soz were discussing the issue with the PDP. Both Azad and Soz are no longer visible and this rumour has also died a natural death.
To end political rumours former chief minister Omar Abdullah did something concrete. He created some excitement among political circles by refusing to carry the burden of in-charge chief minister and by writing to the governor reiterating his party’s support to the PDP.
However, the PDP rejected Omar Abdullah’s written offer, accusing the latter of wanting to remain in power despite being defeated in the elections.
Even though the NC stated it would support the PDP from outside, the PDP patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed refused to take the bait. Instead he preferred to remain silent and he still is silent. Silence has its own advantages. It keeps people guessing. And that is what Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has doing since December 23, 2014 when elections results were announced.
The PDP has also not cleared its position on government formation and with it people have also lost interest in the whole affair.
However, a rumour in Jammu is that Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s PDP will ultimately join hands with the BJP. The rumour is that the PDP is buying time so that tempers in the Valley can come down. There is tremendous outrage at a possible alliance between the BJP and the PDP. If the rumour turns out to be true then truly Mufti Muhammad Sayeed believes in giving a “zor ka jhatka dhire se”.