In Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti are at loggerheads with each other, just like Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh. The political equations in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh also seem to be similar at the moment.
Just like Mehbooba Mufti and Mayawati, if we look comparatively, the roles of Omar Abdullah and Akhilesh Yadav also seem similar, and if we pay attention, we will notice another special thing – the role of Congress is also common in both the states.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress is standing on the support of Omar Abdullah, just like it is standing on the support of Akhilesh Yadav in UP. Just like Mayawati keeps targeting Akhilesh Yadav from time to time since the 2019 general elections, Mehbooba Mufti is also targeting Omar Abdullah in the same way.
Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, forgetting many things of the past, formed an alliance in UP during the 2019 general elections, and similarly, in the Gupkar declaration of Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah and Mufti were also seen standing together holding hands – but now the situation has become such that both of them are seen as sworn enemies in the field.
Just as the battle of UP has a direct impact on Congress and BJP, similar conditions are seen in Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti is also indirectly targeting Congress on the pretext of Omar Abdullah, although in UP Mayawati directly attacks Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
What is happening in Jammu and Kashmir is interesting, but what is even more interesting are the things that are the possible results of their influence – that is, who is the direct beneficiary of Mehbooba Mufti’s attack on Omar Abdullah and the counter-attack in return?
Mehbooba Mufti is still talking about contesting the elections alone in Jammu and Kashmir – and is saying that her party will give full support to the PDP, Congress and National Conference alliance, provided – the alliance also accepts the agenda of the PDP, and in such a situation, the offer is even that PDP will not come in the way of the alliance in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.
On Mehbooba Mufti’s proposal, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah says that there is not much difference between the agenda of his party and the PDP. Referring to the PDP, he says, ‘They are saying that if the alliance accepts their agenda, they will not field their candidates… You have already included our agenda in your manifesto… Now there is not much difference between our agenda and your agenda, so do not field candidates… and let us build a better future for Jammu and Kashmir.’
Omar Abdullah says that the manifesto of the National Conference is not limited to election promises, but it is a complete roadmap for the next 5 years of governance. He says, we have ensured that only those promises are made which can be fulfilled – and accuses the PDP of copying his party’s manifesto.
Omar Abdullah complained in an election rally, everyone has copied our manifesto… there should have been some difference… we had promised 200 units of free electricity on coming to power and they (PDP) also said that they will give 200 units… we said that we will give one lakh government jobs in the first year, we included it in our manifesto.
Omar Abdullah explains that there was talk of reopening the LoC route, which is also in their manifesto… We talked about keeping the doors of dialogue open, and they are also saying the same. Whatever my colleagues put in our manifesto… they have also put the same.
Political differences are a different matter, but Omar Abdullah’s words seem to be true to some extent. While releasing the PDP manifesto, Mehbooba Mufti had said, “We want people-to-people contact across the LoC… We want the road to Sharda Peeth in PoJK to be opened so that Kashmiri Pandits can go there… We want reconciliation and dialogue.” Along with this, Mehbooba Mufti has also made election promises like lifting the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, trying to hand back their properties and providing free legal aid to those in jail.
Mehbooba Mufti says that Article 370 was a bridge between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country, but that is now over. The central government has put the separatists in jail… They should remember that their own leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani had met Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah and Mirwaiz Farooq… Putting them in jail is not a solution, the Kashmir issue is still alive… otherwise Engineer Rashid would not have won.
As soon as the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge reached Jammu and Kashmir, a statement came from senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar in which his attitude towards the alliance with Congress seemed quite positive.
Regarding the Congress leader, Naeem Akhtar said, Rahul Gandhi can be an effective voice for the issues related to Jammu and Kashmir, and in such a situation there is a possibility of a broad alliance in Jammu and Kashmir.
Till then, there were reports of a deadlock between the Congress and the National Conference regarding the alliance, similar to what was seen in the initial phase with Akhilesh Yadav in UP, because the National Conference was not ready to give more seats to the Congress as per its wish – but then both of them together made public their mutual agreement, and the PDD got angry.
Mayawati has also been saying about Congress and BJP that there is no significant difference between the two, one is Nagnath and the other is Sampnath – but the way Mayawati fields her candidates in elections, it is clear that she wants to benefit someone else more than BSP.
Mayawati has been accused of helping the BJP in UP – and Mehbooba Mufti’s characteristics seem to be exactly the same. Is the relationship the same, only the thinking is new. Is Mehbooba Mufti inspired by Chirag Paswan along with Mayawati?
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)