Peerzada Arshad Hamid 

Srinagar

In politics rats marry snakes and politicians take strange bedfellows. The unrest within the coalition government in the state is failing to end. The political instability may have far reaching consequences on the coalition partners with the next assembly elections not far away. Yet the alliance of the Congress and Peoples Democratic Party is continuing notwithstanding the allegations of one another. The kettle calling the pot black is just a political gimmick which both parties may take into their stride.

The intense pressure within the coalition ally People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is likely to wither the alliance well before the scheduled assembly polls next year. The fissures within the coalition seem to be deepening with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed admitting publicly that keeping the alliance boat afloat is becoming difficult.

Mufti stated that his party’s credibility was suffering because of the coalition and people were losing confidence in the political leadership. Although PDP has authorised Mufti to decide on pulling out of the alliance but insiders in the party say that the decision depends much upon the Congress high command in New Delhi.

“Qazi Afzal does not participate in the cabinet meetings after he was divested of the forest portfolio and morally he is doing right. Congress people always oppose suggestions from PDP and are not comfortable with Tariq Hamid Karra. Every time he walks out of the meetings. So what sort of coalition are you talking about,” says a PDP leader.

The two coalition partners have been at loggerheads since the alliance came into being in 2002. The situation turned precarious after Ghulam Nabi Azad became the chief minister. However the coalition has survived thanks to the assurances from 10 Janpath.

Political analysts in Kashmir say that PDP leaders have found themselves curbed by Azad’s politics.

“Now that PDP can’t admit in open that Azad is dominating them, they plead that the coalition is not performing at all and have started talking about its dissatisfaction and disillusionment over issues like making trans-LoC travel easier, trade, dialogue with Kashmiris and rehabilitation of those willing to give up militancy,” an analyst said.

Since the party has no concrete issues for formulating the election manifesto as it has failed miserably over the issue of troop reduction and demilitarisation, the pullout will be projected as party’s sacrifice and could well help the party keep its vote bank intact.

However the ruling coalition partner is keen to complete its term ending October next year. Insensitive of the threats by PDP followed by resignation by senior PDP leader Qazi Mohammad Afzal from the cabinet after Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad divested him off the forest portfolio in wake of timber scam, Congress cites the internal bickering in PDP as an impediment to the pullout.

Since PDP high command was not energetic in pursuing Qazi’s case and preferred to play it down, it gave the signals that Muftis are not happy with Qazi, who was left alone in the hour of distress.

The firebrand PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti then bothered more about eulogising the achievements of Cong led coalition in the state instead of taking up Qazi’s case, that most believe was Azad’s unilateral decision.

The silence of PDP over Qazi Afzal’s episode helped Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad come out of the precarious situation.

Congress leaders on their part are publicly accusing PDP of not supporting their government the way their party had supported the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government.

“PDP has violated the coalition dharma by not providing full unconditional support to our government as we did to their government,” said Abdul Gani Vakil, senior vice president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee.

Political analysts feel that both the parties are eying gaining more seats in the coming assembly elections and are ruling out the coalition politics and projecting to go alone in the assembly elections due October next year.

The possibility of elections well before scheduled date has become so apparent that all political parties including main opposition National Conference, Congress, PDP and People's Democratic Front (PDF) have started election campaign and hunt for the candidates for assembly elections is seriously going on.

Opposition National Conference is trying to cash on the internal bickering between the coalition partners and does not miss the opportunity to heckle both the partners. Its patron Farooq Abdullah accuses the Congress of failing to deliver on governance front, apart from launching scathing attacks on PDP. He even tried to incite Congress to divorce PDP after Mufti Mohammed Sayeed admitted crisis in the coalition.

Farooq Abdullah also suggested PDP to withdraw from coalition, if it was not pleased with functioning of the Azad-led coalition.

Abdullah is all set to participate in the coming assembly polls as the chief ministerial candidate of his party.

PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in the meeting held last week has asked the party cadres to gear up for the upcoming assembly elections.

So far PDP has not been able to break ice with its most popular demand: that of withdrawal of the draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Disturbed Areas Act.

The political analysts in Kashmir feel that PDP can gain if New Delhi takes some decision on the recommendations of the committees constituted to look into the PDP’s demand for reduction of troops and revocation of AFSPA.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad too does not miss a chance to launch veiled salvos on PDP, an indication for preparing ground for Congress party in the elections. He boasts about the development works during his tenure and asks people not to believe in hollow sloganeering or negative politics.

Against the backdrop of ongoing political crisis, common masses seem to be unconcerned with the hullabaloo.