Crisis in BJP-PDP Coalition

BY: RANBIR MANHAS PUBLISHED ON MARCH 17, 2018

Since day one, the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir has been described as an unholy alliance by the opposition parties like NC and Congress blaming the same for the sorrow state of affairs going on in the State. “PDP is not acceptable in Jammu and BJP is hated in Kashmir hence this unrest”, they claim. But the facts speak otherwise.

If we go a little behind, we will find that political violence actually began in 1986-87 when elections were blatantly rigged by Congress and National Conference duo who were partners in the government then when they pushed the winning MUF to the wall thereby giving birth to dreaded terrorists like Slahuddin and Yasin Malik who are now playing in the hands of Pakistan and have become a permanent headache for India.

Again, if PDP was hated in Jammu then what was Congress doing during 2002 to 2008 when it shared power with this ‘anti-national’ party? Similarly, if BJP was hated in Kashmir then who had forced NC for sharing power in Vajpayee led NDA government? In Jammu and Kashmir also, NC had offered her support to BJP for forming the government, but its numbers were not enough. So if Congress and NC say that BJP- PDP alliance is unholy, they have hardly any moral right to say so and the allegations of unholy alliance are nothing but a tool to befool people.

My firm belief is that not only BJP-PDP alliance, every alliance in this state will be unholy be that between Cong & NC; between BJP and PDP or between BJP and NC. The only natural combinations in this state could be of either Congress with BJP or PDP with NC. Since Congress and BJP being rivals at national level will not agree to join hands, their dependence on the soft separatists will always and permanently remain a compulsion; sometimes on NC and sometimes on PDP.

BJP-PDP alliance indeed is under duress. Whether it falls or continues at least I cannot predict, but it must continue as this in the broader national interest, which must be supreme than the petty politics of transfers, postings and setting up of new revenue units like Districts, Sub-districts and Blocks.