Omars 8216;breakdown8217; a work in progress

When PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beigh alleged that Omar Abdullah was involved in the 2006 sex scandal,the CM's decision to resign caused a stir but this is not the first time he's buckled under pressure.

When PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beigh alleged that Omar Abdullah was involved in the 2006 Srinagar sex scandal,the Chief Ministers decision to resign caused a stir but this is not the first time hes buckled under pressure.

Omar subsequently did alter his plans when he left the Assembly complex and decided to send in a conditional resignation to the Raj Bhavan. The turn of events put the PDP on the backfoot Beigh toned down his rhetoric and even admitted that Omar might well be exonerated.

Omars resignation letter requested Governor N N Vohra to accept his decision to step down if he saw any basis to the accusation,while also requesting the Governor to inquire into the unsubstantiated allegations against his person by attacking my character.

He was a lot more dramatic in the House. If the allegation was of theft or nepotism etc,you are innocent till proven guilty. But this is different. You can expunge it from records,get an inquiry done by the Home Department but it will not change anything. I will be guilty till proven innocent. I cannot live with this stigma and thus will resign, he said.

On the face of it,Omars ready-to-sacrifice-chair approach has certainly given him the moral high ground. But the road to the resignation did not begin during todays debate in the Assembly.

Since the state government mishandled the Shopian double rape and murder in June,he has never looked in complete control. Under pressure,especially from the Opposition,he has taken hasty decisions to outsmart rivals. Today,too,he looked more ready to shun office rather than take on the PDP.

In a way,he has to contend with three different opposition camps the most persistent is the PDP in the Valley,the BJP in Jammu and separatist forces. His alliance with the Congress has also made it difficult for the National Conference to push its Kashmir-centric political agenda.

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Meanwhile,development projects are not moving ahead smoothly,partly because almost every infrastructure ministry is with the Congress and the CM has hardly any control over his Cabinet colleagues from that party.

The last two months,too,have been particularly taxing for Omar because of turmoil on the streets. The Shopian rape and murder eroded the governments credibility and helped both separatists and the PDP return to the centrestage of the political discourse. The killing of four protestors in police firing in Baramulla didnt help either.

Subsequently,Omars decision to jail dozens of separatists under the Public Safety Act was seen as going against his poll agenda and his promise to help build bridges with them.

The latest move to reward senior police officers and bureaucrats who were directly responsible for the mess created during the Amarnath land row in Jammu is another recent example.

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The opposition PDP,too,is taking recourse to extreme action in order to destabilise the Omar Abdullah government,the most recent incident being Mehbooba Muftis actions in the Assembly yesterday over the Shopian case,which the PDP had taken to the streets as well.

The PDPs entire focus has been on negative politics ever since it failed to form the government,even as it improved its tally from 18 to 21. The complete failure of the party during the Lok Sabha elections,especially the failure to retain the South Kashmir seat,has made it even more desperate.

While the PDPs biggest asset has been its soft separatist image,there is a section of the party that wants to bridge the distance with Congress. This,because the PDP can never come to power on its own and Congress is the only possible alliance partner.