Selective memory: Wasn't Omar Abdullah among the first to ally with BJP? Why the amnesia now?
'Elitism' as a concept is a belief that certain individuals having some intrinsic qualities, such as intellect, wealth, etc., constitute an 'elite' group of society.
In the political scenario, the elites constitute a small group that rules – and the rest are ruled by them. The elites try hard to create barriers for the rest who want to enter their domain as that might dilute the sacredness that they enjoy, being the elites.
In the Indian context, where democracy, meritocracy and the right to equality are established by law – at least in letter – there are examples where dynasticism is clearly visible (the Congress is an example) and amazingly, people are celebrating this, which shows the feudal mindset of our ‘democratic’ society.
However, with the entry of new aspiring leaders, there appear to be the chances of a breakdown of this oligarchy.
In a federal system, center-state coordination is very important for any development to occur. Regional and ruling parties at the centre need to be in sync. In Kashmir this takes on a strange dynamic though. When people who are politically elite have good ties with the centre, there is generally a positive outlook on relations. But if someone other than the so-called elites has good relations with Delhi, they are seen as 'agents of Delhi'.
Over the decades, the National Conference (NC) maintained a cosy relationship with both the national parties, the BJP and the Congress. From time to time, there was bitterness in relations between the National Conference and the Congress when the Indira Gandhi government led a coup against then-chief minister Farooq Abdullah in 1984 and reportedly got him dismissed by Governor Jagmohan.
But the friendship was revived when Farooq Abdullah was made the chief minister in 1987 through purportedly rigged elections. The members of the Muslim United Front, led by Mohammad Yousuf Shah alias Syed Sallahudin, were also contesting the Assembly polls of 1987. Ultimately, they were shown the door through manipulated elections. Possible reasons for the alleged rigging were believed to include the Congress reportedly wanting to make roots in Jammu and Kashmir by appointing their choice, Farooq Abdullah.
Crucially, prior to the 1987 elections, there was no militancy. The fabricated defeat of the Muslim United Front led to the eruption of militancy. It intensified with time and the situation seemed to be getting out of control. The same thing happened again in 1996 when the National Conference allegedly created Ikhwan - a dreadful gang of renegades who butchered civilians.
The beneficiaries of the 1987 rigged election, that brought the wrath of militancy to Kashmir, should be held accountable for today’s turmoil in the state.
After the central government elected in 1996 collapsed, General Elections were held in 1998 and Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Prime Minister with the support of 286 members. But this government crumbled due to a vote of no-confidence, losing by one vote.
Thus, the 1999 General Elections were held and the BJP formed the government with alliance partners. It was for the second time that the Congress had lost two consecutive General Elections. It was then that Farooq Abdullah switched to the BJP to carry forward his political legacy. Perhaps this was just his legacy for his scion to continue the culture of the political elitism of J&K.
Omar Abdullah was working in Mumbai and he then contested the Lok Sabha election and became a Member of Parliament. He was the first from Jammu and Kashmir to have joined the BJP government. His political career started with the BJP-RSS, which he terms unholy now.
Eventually, he was made the minister of state for foreign affairs under the NDA regime. But, in recent years, Omar Abdullah has been raking up the issue of human rights violations and killings in Kashmir. While he was the minister of state for foreign affairs, he could have been far more vocal rather than becoming the Indian face who was defending the said human rights violations while roaming across the world. He was, in fact, an asset for Vajpayee ji.
If people believe that Omar left the NDA government in protest against the 2002 Gujarat riots and POTO, they should be made aware of the facts. These were absurd excuses given by Abdullah. The apparent reason for moving away from the BJP was the reported betrayal of Farooq Abdullah by the BJP. Farooq Abdullah apparently had a life-long ambition of becoming Vice President of India and was rumouredly promised by the BJP that he would be made this. This promise was not fulfilled.
It was, it is often said, the key reason for the National Conference breaking ties with the RSS and BJP.
Currently, the National Conference has come up again with the "autonomy resolution" as Lok Sabha elections are around the corner. If the NC had been serious about autonomy, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah would have resigned when the resolution was not accepted by the union government.
The BJP was a divine political party for Omar Abdullah while he was a part of them and now, it has become a party that propagates Hindutva. The contradictions are as amusing as they are angering. Closeness to the BJP is very much the 'elite' NC's strategic choice. However, if any other leader who is not at par with their presumed status, gets Delhi’s appraisal, they brand him as 'an agent'. Omar Abdullah should know that if the BJP is not good for Kashmir, then the Congress is also not an option. In my view, though, instead of being churlish, Omar should thank the BJP and RSS for elevating him to a position where he stands today.
His political career is deeply rooted in the BJP.