Election to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu Kashmir is in full swing. Filling of nominations is over. First phase of voting is just a few days away on 18th of September 2024. Political parties are out to lure voters in their favour. Promises are being made verbally as well as through party manifestos.
Electioneering is happening in both, in open competitive manner and on heightened pitch all over the Union Territory. People in general may not be committing in open about their choice but are joining processions and public meetings of different political parties with visible liberty. The assurance of election commission and recent experience of Lok Sabha election 2024 seems to be working on ground. We therefore hope a good, fair and fearless election.
We are witnessing stiff competition in undertakings being given as freebies to be provided after government formation. While most of the candidates are either independents or from the parties who are going solo without entering into alliance with others.
There however is a pre-poll alliance between Congress party and National Conference. Notwithstanding sketchiness of this alliance because of so called friendly fight on various assembly segments we wish to presume it to be an alliance that will be together after election also. Although! The past experience does not exude any confidence. NC-Congress relations are guided by law of “ambivalence”; as they publically demonstrate simultaneous experience of positive and negative emotional orientations towards one another.
Previous affairs
Congress and National conference leaders came into contact of each other much before 1947. In fact back then National Conference was still Muslim Conference that is prior to 1939. The relationship since then has been that of hate and love. They join together and disengage and then come together again and repeat the phenomenon again and again and again. Off course every time it is done in the interest of the people of Jammu Kashmir.
Let us forget pre-1947 era and briefly recollect post 1947 period of their relationship. Both parties and more specifically leaders of both parties belonging to two families join hands and manipulated power seizure excluding rest including Maharaja Hari Singh ji who was authorized to accede and actually joined Indian dominion.
NC-Congress combine did everything to strengthen their hold over administration. They conducted even election in which no other candidate was allowed to join the fray. All seventy five candidates of this bloc managed to win all the 75 seats unopposed and this body was called the Constituent Assembly of Jammu Kashmir. In spite of all this by 1953 the relations went sour and touched a rough weather patch that lasted for almost 22 years. Off course there were ups and downs in between also.
In 1975 we were told that a new era in the relationship has begun. An accord called Indira –Abdullah accord was signed. Sheikh Mohd Abdullah after returning from “political wilderness” became leader of the House of state legislature of which he was not even a member. This return had another dimension. The person who was dismissed from the post of Prime Minister of Jammu Kashmir ascended the same throne as Chief Minister of the state. This relationship did work for just about two years when in 1977 they parted ways again. Bitterness of this separation lasted for almost a decade before they came together once again in 1986. The change in generation of leaderships of the first families had happened during this period.
Sheikh Mohd Abdullah expired in 1982. And Smt. Indira Gandhi ji was unfortunately assassinated in 1984. Meanwhile two elections had taken place in Jammu Kashmir which both these parties fought against each other. National Conference managed to win both these elections in 1977 and 1983.
Conflict Peaks
1984 is perhaps the year that will be marked as the year in which rivalry between the two peaked. On July 2, 1984 a faction of NC headed by Ghulam Ahamad Shah, brother-in Law of Dr. Farooq Abdullah was sworn in as Chief Minister with the support of Congress-I. There are different versions of this period available, each conforming to the view point of the writer/presenter. But there is a version available in the records of the Parliament of India.
A Calling attention notice was served by Ramanand Yadav, a Member of Parliament, representing Bihar in the Rajya Sabha as a member of the Indian National Congress. This was debated in Rajya Sabha on the 26th of July 1984.
Sh. P.V. Narsimha Rao, the former Prime Minister, was the minister of Home Affairs and presented the following points in his initial remarks. He said, “In the State of Jammu and Kashmir certain elements had been indulging in anti-national and secessionist activities once the latter half of 1983. These activities were in the form of demonstrations, speeches, hartals, slogan mongering, causing bomb explosion and issuing threats to life and property of public men, media and others”.
He further said that, “Though All India Sikh Students Federation was declared an unlawful association in March 1984, its objectionable activities continued in the State. Other Sikh extremists also joined hands with them”.
Home Minister continued saying, “… anti-national, secessionists and communal elements in the State and indulged not only in making objectionable speeches and shouting anti-national slogans but also in arson, loot and other violent activities on a large-scale. Buildings housing Central Government establishments such as post offices, telephone exchanges, State Bank of India were made the targets of attack. Religious places were also attacked and desecrated”.
Home Minister claimed, “Since July, 1983, the Central Government had been impressing upon the State Government to take firm and effective action against the anti-national, secessionist and extremist elements. Till June 1984, the Home Minister sent nine communications to the Chief Minister in this regard. However, the action taken by the State Government was inadequate and often belated and, therefore, made little impact. The activities of these elements, therefore, continued unabated, including hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane”.
“It is Government of India’s concern that in the sensitive border State of Jammu and Kashmir, peace and good order prevails and the nefarious designs and activities of those who are seeking to undermine the integrity and unity of India are effectively checked. I would, therefore, appeal to recent developments in the State of the Honourable Members to view the Jammu and Kashmir in the right: prospective and strengthen the hands of the Government”, Home Minister stated.
Sh. Ramanand Yadav in his opening remarks said that the Nation and this august house needs to share its concern over the situation that has emerged in Kashmir, a border state for last several years . Dr Farooq Abdullah, he continued, entered into an alliance with secessionist elements, anti-social elements shacking the secular foundation of Kashmir. He used, Mr Yadav alleged, state machinery to seize power. Congress party and offices of Opposition parties were attacked, candidates were beaten and were not allowed to move. To canvass, booths were ringed. Even election commission openly condemned them and said that election was rigged, Mr Yadav continued.
Mr. Yadav claimed that “He came to power in such a manner by undermining all norms of democracy. After coming to power maintained anti-India, anti-centre attitude… Dr Farooq Abdullah actually became a security risk for the nation”, stressed Ramanand Yadav.
Ghulam Mohi-u-Din Shawl primarily, supported by Shri Ghulam Rasool Matto defended NC during the debate. Mr. Shawl accused Congress party of turning against Dr. Farooq Abdullah because of the loss in the election and also because of the thumping majority which NC got. He further alleged that “electoral defeat was a bitter pill for them to swallow”. He added that the second crime was that Dr. Farooq did not join the Congress camp. On the contrary, he aligned himself with those forces in the country who are for democratic principles and justice.
Sh. Lal Krishan Advani ji one of the tallest leader of BJP intervened in the debate and pointed out two important aspects of the statement made by the Minister relating to the unity and security of the country and the other aspect being the constitutional and legal aspect in relation to the removal of Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s Government.
Advani ji referred to the statement made by the Home Minister regarding the Government of India’s concern in the sensitive border State and need for preserving “peace and good order” and checking “the nefarious designs and activities of those who are seeking to undermine the integrity of India.” He added “I am sure that this concern is shared by all the Members of this House, by every single Member of this House; including my colleague from the National Conference”.
Advani ji continued that anyone who was to read the statement would get the impression that Dr Farooq Abdullah has been removed because he was colluding with antinational elements. If there were any doubts about this statement, continued Advani ji, then Mr. Ramanand Yadav dispelled all those doubts and left no scope whatsoever for anyone to entertain any illusions on this score.
Advani ji emphasised that a “very grave charge leveled against Dr. Farooq Abdullahs Government”. If really Dr Farooq Abdullah’s Government has been guilty of this, I would think that this was a more appropriate case for a White Paper on Kashmir and for the dismissal of the Farooq Abdullah Government. It was not necessary… to procure defections and to create a Government of defectors”.
The issue basically is, Advani ji underscored: “Can national security, national integrity, democracy and Constitutional norms coexist or are they incompatible? I, for one, believe that national security and national integrity are very important. But we have to preserve these within the democratic framework that we have accepted, abiding or adhering scrupulously to the Constitutional norms that we have given unto our- selves”.
This was the stand of BJP at that time and continues to be its stand at present. Issue before the people of Jammu Kashmir is the credibility of this NC-Congress alliance. How long will this pre-poll alliance last and how will they conduct themselves after the election is over. Also shall people believe them once again?
Hope people choose wisely.
(Author is former MLC and spokesperson of BJP JK-UT)
