The PDP leaders and ministers were repeatedly told by the former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to visit their constituencies and remain in touch with their people but they refused citing security reasons.
Fall of the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir has once again brought to fore the uncertainty which prevails in the state. BJP pulling out from the government surprised the Peoples’ Democratic Party but it did not come as a shock for the PDP as its leaders knew that it was coming. May be the timing surprised them.
The BJP after pulling out the plug made it clear that PDP couldn’t do much for the people and its leaders and ministers failed to deliver. The PDP ministers and leaders who used to claim that they are the grassroots leaders forgot their roots soon after coming into power and started reaping the fruits of their hard work which they had done to come into power.
The PDP leaders and ministers were repeatedly told by the former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to visit their constituencies and remain in touch with their people but they refused citing security reasons.
The PDP promised it to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Panchayat elections would be held in the state even after announcing the dates the PDP backtracked and failed to keep up its promise. BJP leaders in New Delhi are of the opinion that the Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh went out of the way to accommodate the concerns of the PDP. The BJP central leadership had expected PDP to reciprocate and carry forward the initiatives of the central government but it did not happen.
The PDP ministers remained busy with politics and rhetoric. They forgot that their mandate is to ensure that developmental activities take place across Jammu and Kashmir and people get benefited. Had they engaged with the people and tried to know what they want situation in Kashmir would not have gone out of hand.
The common perception which prevailed in New Delhi was that if the Kashmiri leaders cannot do anything for their own people what will they do for them. The internal bickering within the PDP also disillusioned the people sitting in New Delhi.
Another factor which went against the PDP was that its leadership remained confined within its family and no effort was made by the party to empower people outside the family. All the decisions were taken within the family. In fact at present also the top party positions in PDP are also held by the family members. The BJP has always opposed the Family Raaj and PDP leaders were told on many occasion that BJP is a national party and its allies should take care of the issues which could put the BJP in an embarrassing position.
Till the day BJP shared power with PDP it ensured that controversial issues are put at the back burner to allow the PDP to focus on the governance front. If one sees the record of the PDP during the past three years one can easily say that it achieved nothing on the development front as its ministers couldn’t spare much time for the people who braved all odds and took part in the elections. BJP is a national party despite that it handed over the command to PDP in Jammu and Kashmir just to ensure that people of Kashmir feel the change and become part of the progress and development.
PDP should come out and list it achievements if it has any. When BJP entered into an alliance with PDP it had made it clear that borders cannot be redrawn. At that point of time PDP had no objection and went ahead with an alliance. When Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away the PDP took nearly two months to decide whether it should carry on with the alliance or not.
More than BJP, PDP has to blame itself for the miseries of the Kashmiri people. The PDP leaders could have acted as a bridge between the Centre and the people of Kashmir but they didn’t make an attempt. BJP did not even win a single assembly seat in Kashmir and it had nothing at stake in the Valley. BJP’s hard line is known to everyone and there is nothing hidden about it. But PDP is a Kashmir centric party and people expected a lot from it. Had PDP ministers stayed away from discussing politics and focused on the task that was assigned to them Kashmir today would have been a better place to live. PDP needs to introspect rather than blaming BJP for its failures.
Article Source: https://www.greaterkashmir.com/todays-paper/no-grassroots-leaders