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Journalism of Courage
The immediate challenge before Mufti Mohammed Sayed, all set to take over as the CM of Jammu and Kashmir, is to bring a healing touch to his relationship with Ghulam Nabi Azad and Farooq Abdullah. This could be as as formidable a task as healing the wounds of the valley.
The tension between Mufti and Azad is not new 8212; it goes back many years. As he was all set to mount the throne, Azad suddenly had the gaddi pulled from beneath him. Viewed objectively, it is in Azad8217;s interest not to spoil things and expose himself for he would only jeopardise his chances of becoming CM three years later, frittering away the enormous gains he has made. But from the statements that the Congress MLAs have already started to make, an aggrieved Azad could make things tough for the new CM.
There is little doubt that Mufti was the best man for the job. The normally cautious Sonia Gandhi showed statesmanship 8212; and the ability to take a gamble 8212; in recognising this. Statesmanship because going by established coalitional conventions, it should have been Azad as the leader of the larger party, and there was pressure in his favour from within the Congress. But his installation could have added to the restiveness and alienation in the valley. Given the changing mood in the state, reflected in the large voter turnout in the recent polls, this was not a risk worth taking. As things are, the Pakistan sponsored terrorism is not likely to stop, for all the promises held out by the West of increased pressure on General Musharraf.
Sonia was also averse to splitting the PDP to form a Congress government, which would have negated the mandate. In any case, it would have been difficult to do this because the MLAs 8212; several of them were supported by the militants 8212; apprehended that they might be bumped off if they changed sides.
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Vajpayee and Sonia have demonstrated magnanimity, now it is Mufti8217;s turn |
It is a gamble because by agreeing to the poll promises made by the PDP, like the assimilation of the Special Operations Group in the J038;K police and the release of the militants who have been jailed without being charged, Sonia runs the risk of being accused of facilitating militancy if Mufti fails and indigenous terrorism shows no sign of abating. Hers is, after all, an all-India party with a stake in every state. But she has taken that risk.
There are moments in history which offer an opportunity for breaking new ground and this is one of them. Indira Gandhi, too, had taken the unusual step of giving the chief ministership to Sheikh Abdullah in 1976, at a time when there was not a single NC MLA in the state assembly, in the larger national interest. The then Congrss CM, Mir Qasim, had resigned to make way for Abdullah following the historic Beg-Parthsarthy Accord.
Though Mufti is to be the CM for a three-year period in a rotational formula evolved between the two parties 8212; this could be an important power-sharing blueprint for future coalitions if successful 8212; his real test will come in the first thirty days. Nobody expects him to resolve the state8217;s problems overnight. Everyone knows that there is a gestation period for development to take place and normalcy restored. But it may be possible to staff the hospitals and the schools in areas outside of cities and this could be done quickly and will make a difference. His promise to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits, even if initially it is just tokenism, could go a long way in creating confidence in Jammu.
Most crucial, however, will be the first impressions the new CM creates about doing things differently, the political will he demonstrates and the extent to which he can succeed in bringing down the tension in J038;K. Mufti has also been given a rare opportunity to make amends for 1990, when his kidnapped daughter Rubaiyya was released in return for militants. That move proved to be a watershed. The situation kept deteriorating after that.
History is influenced by big currents as well as by the seemingly small decisions of individuals. The situation in Kashmir today calls for magnanimity on the part of all the political players there. Atal Behari Vajpayee demonstrated it when he ensured a free and fair election, even though he may have known that the NC may not win and his party was headed for a rout. Sonia Gandhi followed this up by agreeing to a chief minister not from her party. Now it is over to Mufti, Azad, and even the Abdullahs. Will they rise above partisan considerations?
