By Omkar Dattatray
Jammu and Kashmir has been under Governor’s rule since June 2018 when the right wing BJP withdrew support to the coalition government of PDP-BJP headed by Mehbooba Mufti. The fact is that political government meaning thereby the peoples government is definitely superior to the centers rule or governor’s rule and the people face many problems in governor’s rule. Thus there is great need for the democratic process and elections in the disturbed Jammu and Kashmir including Ladakh. So initiation of the democratic process is the need of the hour so that the people elect the government of their choice and the people’s government is panacea for the ills and problems of the people. No doubt the LGS administration has conducted the panchayat elections and the elections of the block development councils with the active participation of the electorate without any loss to the lives of the people. Taking a cue from these elections the central government through election commission should initiate the election process with the participation of the political parties of the regional and national standing. It is well that the centre government has made up its mind to hold the elections in Jammu and Kashmir but the initiative for the elections should come from the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir. In the recent all party meet held at Delhi under the chairmanship of the prime minister all the political parties have taken a part and the prime minister has made it clear that the centre is ready to hold the much required elections to the assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. So the ball is now in the hands of the political parties of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and it follows that the political parties of regional nature and the national parties should come forwarded to initiate the much needed political process in Jammu and Kashmir. There are some reservations in the political parties especially in the regional parties who want the restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir before holding of the elections. Since the central government has made it clear umpteen times that the statehood will be restored to Jammu and Kashmir at the appropriate time and thus nobody should have any reservations in this regard and therefore the political parties should without any wasting time jump into the democratic process for the good of the people of the disturbed Jammu and Kashmir. The regional parties of National Conference, Peoples’ Democratic Party, Apni Party of Altaf Bukhari, Peoples Conference of Sajad Lone, CPIM and others should make up their mind to take part in the assembly elections so that a duly elected government is formed to mitigate the problems of the hapless people as it is the peoples government only which will wipe tears from the eyes of the people and solve their pressing problems. The regional political parties and the national political parties as well as the regional straps should decide to take part in the elections to the assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. It is so good that the regional party of national conference and its president Dr Farooq Abdullah has made it clear that NC will take part in the elections when it will be held and on record he has said that NCs non participation in the panchayat elections was a big mistake. Similarly Apni party of Altaf Bukhari has also favored assembly elections and he is also in favors of taking part in the elections when held. Same way people’s conference of Sajad Lone has also made its mind to take part in the much needed elections. Communist party of India Marxist has also favored early elections to the assembly and the party will take part in the democratic process. The mainstream political party of PDP also wants early elections but unfortunately clubs the assembly elections with the restoration of the statehood. But it is crystal clear that the centre will restore the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at the opportune time as stated by the Prime minister and the home minister of the country and therefore no tag of the restoration of the statehood should be there for taking part in the elections. Thus no pre-conditions should be attached for taking part in the assembly elections. Those who are setting pre-conditions for taking part in the elections are anti people as they are obstacles in the holding of the elections which are long overdue. The centre government as well as the LGs administration should convince the political parties of the free and fair elections and should also make the political parties aware of the benefits of the early assembly elections and induce them to take part in the elections. As the governor’s rule or the centre rule is a temporary phenomena and it should not be allowed to last long and for this it is necessary to initiate the much needed political process in the Jammu and Kashmir by way of holding of the assembly elections. People’s government is a tonic for the ills and problems of the people and so the much overdue elections to the assembly should be held in the interest of the people and for ushering of the democratic process. The holding of the free and fair elections for manning of the assembly is much needed for the initiation of the stalled political process in Jammu and Kashmir. In a governors rule since there are no peoples representatives and as such the common masses are deprived of meeting their representatives as there are none of them in the temporary rule of the centre and thus people are unable to raise their issues and problems before the democratic government as the same is absent in the governors dispensation. Thus for peoples own government there is much need of initiating of the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir to pave way for the holding of the assembly elections so that the people will form their own government which will come to their rescue and help in the mitigating their problems and issues. Since the centre government is ready to hold the elections in Jammu and Kashmir and now it is the turn of the mainstream regional and national political parties to take active part in the assembly elections and not lay pre-conditions for taking part in the assembly elections. So for the common people are concerned, they want to elect their democratic government to solve their problems. In brief there is need for the initiation of the political process so that the people are able to elect their representatives who can form the democratic government so that the masses are in a position to vote and form a people’s government at the earliest. In any case it can be said with certainty that the governor’s rule is a temporary arrangement and thus the democratic government meaning thereby the peoples government is the only solution in a vibrant democracy.
(The writer is retired Education Officer and Columnist.)
