Omar Abdullah has completed a year as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He had assumed responsibilities riding high on the hope of change. In just a year’s time hopes are fading and cynicism has taken root. People are comparing the performance of the present government with the worst dispensations of the past. This does not bode well for the poorly governed state. It was expected that a fresh pair of hands holding the reins of power would be able to usher in a culture of accountability and good governance.
Obviously Omar Abdullah is constrained by the compulsions of coalition politics. However, a sab chalte hain attitude has caught him early in his career; it has killed the initiative for change. A non-serious approach has disappointed both supporters and detractors. It is a common refrain: the new generation is no better than the old one. He may be well-meaning, but has no control over his own government. Moreover, he also lacks deeper understanding of issues. He lacks control over Congress ministers in his Cabinet, touted to be the most corrupt of the lot. Congress within Kashmir is a divided house; ministers take cue from either PCC chief Saifuddin Soz or Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The chief minister is a titular head.
Scepticism is not confined to the masses. Most National Conference workers and leaders are dismayed by Omar Abdullah’s style of functioning. The chief minister’s main problem is the infighting in his own party. Omar Abdullah is wary of the old guard; he considers them corrupt and deadwood. From the beginning he wanted to infuse fresh blood, but the seniors continually frustrate his plans. Senior ministers and party functionaries accuse Omar Abdullah of promoting cronyism in the name of a change. Elders though experienced are tainted, but there seems to be something to the allegation that Omar Abdullah is busy promoting friends without a political background.
Devinder Singh Rana, a Jammu businessman is now Omar’s political advisor and Man Friday. He seems to be the source of all friction in the National Conference. Party seniors do not like Rana’s dramatic rise in power. State finance minister Abdul Rahim Rather and law minister Ali Mohammed Sagar suspect him of conspiring for their ouster from the Cabinet. Now and then rumours are rife that their expulsion is imminent. The two privately hold Rana responsible for the rumours. Incidentally, Rana also, directly or indirectly, influences a large chunk of the media. Abdul Rahim Rather is particularly aggrieved; he believes Rana is eying his job to promote his own business interests.
The tussle between the old guard and the new blood has adversely affected functioning of the state government. The fiscal year will end in two months; the government has been able to spent only 27 per cent of the Rs 5,500 crore annual plan. When, after the Lok Sabha elections, the Plan was approved with a jump of 22.22 per cent, some economists raised doubts about the capacity of a corrupt bureaucracy to utilise the entire amount. But Omar Abdullah was euphoric over the cash injection, little aware of the inertia of his bureaucracy. Infighting within the National Conference has aggravated the problem. Having scant regard for public interest, the finance minister is in a go-slow mode; it has impacted developmental activity. His detractors miss no opportunity to score a point and highlight his inefficiency. In the process, the people continue to suffer for want of basic amenities like power, potable water, health and education. Due to harsh weather conditions the working season in most parts of the state has ended, and it will be a miracle if the Plan utilisation surpasses even 50 per cent.
Alongside the power struggle in his party, Omar Abdullah is yet to show administrative prowess. On January 18, Baramulla and Sopore were rocked by protests, caused by the death of 25-year-old Manzoor Ahmed, crippled in police firing in June 2009. As usual, police had declared Manzoor a rioter, thus making him ineligible for government relief. Subsequent inquiry by the deputy commissioner found Manzoor innocent and had also recommended urgent relief for his treatment. Newspaper reports said that the DC, Baramulla, in a letter to Commissioner-Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), with a copy to the chief minister’s principal secretary, had sought sanction to release of Rs 1 lakh worth relief for treatment on November 3, 2009.
The concerned did not take a decision for 80 days, losing precious time which could have saved Manzoor’s life. The chief minister has ordered an inquiry; he may even grant relief and a job to Manzoor’s widow. This is typical afterthought. The actual problem with Omar Abdullah’s administration is that it lacks application of mind. A delayed action is no action at all, and in cases it has even proved counter-productive. Flip-flop has become a pattern with this government. It was witnessed in the Shopian rape-murder case, and when junior doctors and the Road Transport Corporation (RTC) employees went on strike. In these cases the government did what it ought, but only after the loss of precious lives of protestors and patients.
Insight comes with application of mind, and for that one needs to be attentive. The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir is forever on a spree and hardly attends office; he is also not keen to solicit advice. Omar Abdullah is a loner; as such he is not able to connect with the party and the people. His fallings are not individual, for he has let down the young generation.
firdoussyed@yahoo.com