A CM at large

During a recent interaction with local mediapersons on Doordarshan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah plainly denied a query ...

During a recent interaction with local mediapersons on Doordarshan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah plainly denied a query that he wished to be India8217;s High Commissioner in England. The scribe had apparently put this rather cheeky question to the CM because of the frequent trips he made to the UK to visit his family which has chosen to stay in that country.

However what he volunteered in response, albeit jokingly, may have surprised several viewers. He revealed that his ambition was to become the vice-president of the country and then its president. To those following his actions and attitudes over the last two years 8212; ever since he took over the reins of the government in fact 8212; this did not sound too far-fetched. The man has actually been straining to project himself as one destined to play a larger role at the Centre, rather than spend his time solving the pedestrian problems of his home state.

It8217;s not surprising, therefore, to find the CM away from the state for at least half thetime. Besides England, Abdullah can be spotted in various other parts of the country, attending minor functions for the most part. He may be found at the Pokharan blast site with the Prime Minister or at the muhurat of some south Indian film in Hyderabad or simply playing golf at Chandigarh. While all this is going on, no one in the state appears to know his wherabouts.

Few should grudge him his travels, especially since it is done with the ostensible reason of wanting to project Kashmir as a safe place now. But his enthusiasm for travel is certainly not manifested in his home state. On the rare occasion when he is in J amp; K, he rarely travels beyond the two capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu. And that too by air. It is not surprising, therefore, that he is hardly spotted visiting relatives of the victims of militancy, including leaders of his own party.

Yet another indicator of his love to remain in the national limelight is the way he courts the media except, of course, in his home state. He can befound waxing eloquent at umpteen Press conferences and television shows.

A classic example of this tendency to air his views to all and sundry was his recent statement that Bangladesh nationals were being quot;trainedquot; in Pakistan and sent to India. Pray, has any Bangladeshi been caught along the border while trying to sneak into Pakistan for a job, or found with arms and ammunition? Security forces certainly deny this outright.

For a man who loves media attention, it8217;s rather strange that Abdullah should neglect the local media to the extent he does. To the best of one8217;s memory, he has addressed no more than two Press conferences in his home state during the last 12 months.

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By the way, he has hired a Delhi-based firm which arranges trips to the state for journalists. Some of these scribes, who are taken on a conducted tour, get mesmerised by the quot;frank and transparentquot; functioning of the government and the quot;hecticquot; schedule of the CM quot;who devotes almost all his time for the welfare of the peoplequot;.

To befair to him, he is a strong nationalist whose patriotism is beyond doubt. His bold statements and stand against militants and Pakistan are too well known to be enumerated. He is also aware of the fact that he is considered India8217;s best bet in Kashmir by a large section of the central leadership. He faces hardly any threat, either from within his party or without, at least in the near future. Perhaps it is this that gives Abdullah, his unique brand of complacency.