There
is a drift in Jammu and Kashmir. Omar Abdullah who took over as the chief
minister of the troubled state did try to improve things in the beginning
particularly during his first two years in office. But later on he gradually
started losing grip over the administration and sounded more like an opposition
leader raising his voice at times in tune with the separatists in the valley.
His off the cuff statements on presence of the Army in the valley provided
ammunition to the Hurriyat leaders and pro-Pakistan elements in the state,
causing big embarrassment to the Centre. The same chief minister now says that
the strife torn Kishtwar in Jammu region was brought under control the moment
the Army was called in to control the situation.
The
state government imposed a blanket ban on the coverage of the violence
incidents by not allowing the media to visit the place. Not only that, the
local administration did not allow Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in
the Rajya Sabha to visit the troubled zone.
It
is a normal practice not to disclose the identity of the victims of communal
violence. But the chief minister chose to identify the victims of the riots by
disclosing their religion. Omar Abdullah did this to drive home the point that
more Muslims were killed than Hindus- two people belonging to the Muslim
community were killed while one man, a Hindu died in the violence. Omar wanted
to tell the world that the Muslims suffered in the riots but failed to admit
that the flare up was ignited by his own man Shahjad Kichloo, Minister of State
for Home Affairs in J & K Government. The Minister was present when the
riots broke out. His role should be thoroughly investigated, although he has resigned
as a minister after the incident after the chief minister found that there were
grave charges against Kichloo.
It
is surprising that the Centre has turned a blind eye to the role of the state
government in fanning communal divide in J &K. On the contrary, the
Congress leaders are trying to defend the chief minister for his failure to
check violence.
One
thing that puzzles the country is how and why the UPA Government is not taking
a tough stand against the misrule of the National Conference Government in the
state. Omar Abdullah is in office with the support of the Congress legislators.
How
the UPA government did not act to contain Omar Abdullah who indirectly hinted
the rise of militancy in the state after the hanging of the Afzal Guru. In
fact, he had opposed the hanging of Afzal by writing to the Prime Minister and
to the President of India saying that his execution would harm the peace in the
valley.
Of
late, Omar Abdullah has been venting his views on ‘twitter’. Well, Mr Chief
Minister, you are holding the office as a Constitutional head and it does not
bring grace to the office that you hold when you twit. The chief minister must
face the people, must interact freely rather than confining himself to the twit
culture of the day. Behave like a matured politician and not as a juvenile
leader of a state that demands serious attention and good governance.
~R. K. Sinha
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