Jammu, Oct 14: They say – there’s many a slip between the cup and the lip!
“Red letter day” of October 16 is just round the corner- precisely just a day away – when the incumbent elected government, led by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, will complete its second year in office in the Union Territory set-up of Jammu and Kashmir.
So here comes the perfect appraisal time to count those slips between the “cup” and the “lip”, though not in proverbial dimensions.
In the context of appraisal, “lip” will denote promises by the helmsmen and “cup” – their delivery to “the ruled”.
It’s time to measure and judge to what extent “Dignity, Identity and Development” promised as a “solemn pledge” to the people reached their doorsteps.
If one goes by the shriller voices in the corridors of power, statehood has remained the dominant chorus – the fulcrum of the ruling alliance of National Conference-Congress’ political juggernaut throughout the year. The plank continued to offer as an impenetrable shield to the alliance and particularly the National Conference against the opposition’s unrelenting onslaught.
Unlike his reconciliatory approach during the first year in office, second year saw CM Omar stridently fighting, protesting for restoration of statehood and projecting that its (statehood’s) absence only caused all the “slips” between the “cup” and the “lip” to blunt opposition’s offensive vis-à-vis non fulfilment of poll promises (by NC).
Interestingly, the government, fully aware of harsh realities of politics, during its second year in power, has less relied on its trite plank during first one year that its mandate to fulfil poll promises is for five years and not one, two or three years – to duck prickly queries of both the opposition and the people.
As a sagacious old player in the political arena, it has focussed more on “absence of statehood” to shift the burden of its “complete failure in governance”, (as alleged by its detractors), on its political opponents (read BJP only) as well.
But does it convince the opposition, which has already written off the NC-led alliance government as “Failed” consecutively in its second Annual Performance Report (APR) or the people – the ruled?
Absolutely not – in case of opposition!
In the case of people, nothing can be said with certainty as they actually speak only after five years through votes!
To be fair, it (NC government) has tried to take baby- steps towards the realisation of several of its promises made in its manifesto.
Though it’s a story for another day that most of those steps, so far, have proved to be nothing more than paper-horses – the distance between the cup and the lip persists.
Keeping the “paper-horses” proposition in mind, one can tick mark the boxes while sifting through its 12 guarantees, as mentioned in NC manifesto 2024.
With regard to its first guarantee related to “Restoration of political and legal status” – it continues to strive for “full implementation of autonomy resolution”; “restoration of Articles 370 and 35 A” and statehood as prior to August 5, 2019.
The government has kept its promise – it is striving for all three “big guarantees.”
But how will it continue to strive for them? None has any idea and even the government, itself, is clueless. In any case, except statehood, two other guarantees can justifiably be not part of the government’s real APR (other than the wordy duel).
However, it kept its word to move resolutions in the assembly and get them passed.
While it succeeded in reviving its autonomy resolution of 2000 in the just concluded autumn session of J&K Legislature, the words Articles 370 and 35-A could not see their verbatim entry in any of resolutions passed so far by the House or the J&K Council of Ministers.
Cornered by the opposition in this context, the government maintained that the word “special status” mentioned in the resolutions was their (Articles 370 n 35-A’s) cloak.
It had promised to make endeavours to redraw the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 and the transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019.
As promised, its endeavours continued even when it’s about to complete its second year in office.
“Files remained pending with the Centre,” the government reaffirms. The status of files related to tweaking of reservation rules (policy), committee report about regularisation of daily wagers too remains in knowledge of government only.
Opaqueness persists about the efforts to “modify, annul and repeal post August 5, 2019 laws impacting J&K’s special status”; “protect the land and employment rights of the people of J&K” and “secure the release of prisoners languishing in jails.”
But as they are some tricky propositions, it will be fair enough to push their APR to 2029. Similar is the status about the guarantee to repeal the Public Safety Act (PSA).
One can wait for these guarantees to fructify, even after 2029.
But the opposition and people can genuinely question the status of guarantee to “fill up all vacancies in government departments within 180 days” and realisation of other related promises on the ground (beyond announcement and flurry of paper horses).
Next guarantee related to “200 units of electricity free”. In the manifesto, there were no strings attached to it.
But in the current scenario, as opposition, too, repeatedly targets – the government has shifted its “goal post to AAY families” and now it is linked to “PM Surya GharMuftBijliYojana” of Government of India.
Moving on, does anyone remember that the party has given a guarantee to “provide Rs 5000 per month to female heads of EWS households”? If not, forget it.
EWS (families) to get 12 cylinders free of cost per year – was another guarantee.
The government, in its second year, endeavoured to fulfil this promise partially and with “strings attached.”
It has kept its promises to enhance the old age and widow pension, free ride for women (with partial tweaking) in e-buses and free education (for all) with a tweaked proposition.
It has been successful in restoration of Darbar Move in its second year. The government has maintained that it has also fulfilled its poll promise related to “Ease of Doing Business” with the passage of a related bill in the just concluded autumn session.
Rest of its major guarantees and promises remain out of its own realm so far and this gives the opposition a handle to beat it, in an unrelenting manner.
“How dual power is creating obstruction in good governance? On statehood, earlier NC (other parties’) stance was – it would come on its own and we will have to wage a bigger war for Art 370 and 35 A. Youth continue to be incarcerated in jails outside J&K. What has happened to 12 free cylinders to all? There were certain achievable goals even within the UT setup, they (NC government) could not get them even,” maintains former minister and senior leader of J&K Apni Party, G H Mir, while talking to GKTV.
He claimed that in 1983, NC in its manifesto had promised to ensure posts for Chief Secretary, DGP and Chief Justice for J&K citizens but after coming to power, it brought Chief Secretary from outside.
“When there was statehood, they wanted autonomy. In the current scenario, they are seeking statehood. It simply means they don’t want to deliver. We too support statehood demand. But their (NC’s) politics always revolves around exploitation of people’s sentiments by provoking them against the Centre and not good governance. They are now resorting to confrontational politics. Confrontation is not going to help it, anyway. It did not help in the past, it will not help even now,” Mir points out.
“The election happened under the UT setup to govern a Union Territory. The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, himself, was on record saying that he had served as the Chief Minister of State so it would be embarrassing for him to contest for power in UT. But he did and won power. However, he could not effectively use powers even within the UT set up to make people’s life better. Dual power is a system prevalent at many places but it cannot be used as an excuse to deprive the people of good governance or one promised to them (people) while contesting for UT. How is the dual system obstructing filling of vacant posts,” former minister argues.
Leader of the Opposition in J&K Legislature Sunil Sharma too has repeatedly targeted the government for using “statehood” as a plank to “cover-up its failure to fulfil poll promises.”
“Corruption has become deeply entrenched under the present dispensation, while transparency and accountability have been completely sidelined. The government’s policy of outsourcing jobs without establishing a transparent and foolproof recruitment mechanism,” he alleges, adding, “Such policies created ample space for manipulation, favouritism and corruption while depriving deserving youth of fair employment opportunities.”
J&K BJP leadership also criticises NC government, for what it alleges, “deliberately resorting to dirty tactics to delay Panchayat elections, weaken the Panchayati Raj Institutions and obstruct the functioning of the three-tier democratic system in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“The grassroots democracy could not be sacrificed for political convenience,” BJP leaders assert.
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