Omar Abdullah arrived in Jammu on Saturday three days after he took oath as chief minister on Wednesday brining him with the message that this Hindu dominated region which voted overwhelmingly for BJP in the recent elections is as dear to him as the Muslim majority Valley that gave a massive mandate to his party-National Conference demonstrating the anger it had against the system imposed on them for the last five years.
A new era has begun in which all communities and the regions have equal right on the government where there will be no discr9mination on the religious or regional lines . This message appeared quite loudly and effectively in his to-the-point speech that lasted for less than an hour at NC headquarters – Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan on Saturday afternoon.
Jammu is a challenging terrain for National Conference and its leadership. Over the years, in fact since 1947, the party has been put in a frame of being anti- Jammu and anti-Hindu . More often than not, the party and its Kashmir based leaders were accused of discriminating against the region , trampling its aspirations and reducing its space in the political decision making . That charge was held against Congress and PDP too, but it was more pronounced in case of National Conference , as the party had launched a movement against Dogra king Hari Singh since 1930s.
But this discrimination card coupled with anti-Jammu and anti-Hindu card was played out at its seams in the recent Assembly elections as a result of which as Omar said in his speech , a particular party ( did not name BJP that won 29 seats from the region, a majority of them from Jammu plains or Hindu heartland) . He did not question the voting pattern in the region and cited what all he has done for the region since assuming office .
Congratulations to Shri Omar Abdullah Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people. The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K's progress. @OmarAbdullah
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 16, 2024
“ We have appointed Surinder Choudhary as Deputy Chief Minister , and he is a Hindu. There are two other ministers from the region,” Omar said underlining the fact that both the regions had equal representation in the ministry – three , including CM from the Valley, and three, including Deputy CM from Jammu . “ What will you say now ,” he asked of all the elements who had portrayed NC in dark .
But more effectively, he delivered the message that his government is for the whole of Jammu and Kashmir and seeing it through the regional prism would be a distortion of the intentions and commitment of his government and the party.
As a matured politician, as he has become over the years, especially in the past 10 years during which he saw not only ups and downs in his political career but also that of the erstwhile state , which now as UT is struggling hard to get back the promised statehood . First thing that his cabinet did on Thursday was to pass a resolution calling for restoration of the statehood . Therefore, the benefits of the restoration of the statehood would be available to all the 14 million people of J&K .
He did ask a question and wanted that to be introspected why despite being annoyed with the system and all the difficulties heaped on them with regard to discontinuation of durbar move practice , smart meters, decline in business and so on ,people in Jammu voted otherwise favouring a particular party ( BJP, but he did not name it).
Jammu listened to him with rapt attention . Critics will find their own arguments to counter him and his speech , that’s given. But now Jammu has to legitimize the verdict in favour of a democratically elected government that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hailed, congratulated Omar on becoming CM and offered all cooperation from the Centre to his government for the progress of J&K. Jammu needs to take a cue from it .
Binoo Joshi is Editor JK News Today, formerly Correspondent BBC and IANS
