Multiple challenges await first woman CM of J&K

Dateline: Srinagar

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, who took oath as the first woman chief minister of a restive Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, will have to face the same challenges as her father and predecessor the late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. For over two months after Mufti’s death, Mehbooba kept on saying that the BJP-led Centre failed to keep its promises made to Mufti regarding implementation of the ‘agenda of alliance,’ which has placed both the BJP and the PDP in a spot.

The challenges will intensify for her in the conflict-ridden region because unlike her father, firebrand Mehbooba is not a natural consensus builder and sharing power with RSS backed and ideologically incompatible BJP won’t be easy for her.

Given the numerous challenges that the PDP-BJP coalition witnessed last year, ensuring smooth functioning of the government will be the biggest challenge for Mehbooba. Looking back at the first innings of the PDP-BJP rule when Mufti Sayeed was the chief minister, the government was caught up in inherent political and ideological contradictions between the diametrically opposed parties.

Many avoidable controversies were whipped up by both parties to strengthen their vote banks in their respective constituencies. Beset with inertia, the government could not take even a single step towards implementing the much- trumpeted ‘agenda of alliance.’ So, implementation of all what lies in the ‘agenda of alliance’ inked between the two parties last year is a challenge at every point.

The latest tiff between local and non local students at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar, which is snowballing into a major crisis, has become a major worry for the Mehbooba government.

However, much against the general presumption, Mehbooba has little to do with the security scenario of the state and the relations with Pakistan, because the 2 happen to be primary prerogatives of New Delhi. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been doing it quite well through his diplomatic efforts, which includes extending an olive branch to the neighbouring country despite terror strikes like that on Pathankot.

Besides, the new chief minister has to address myriad issues that have plagued the state for long. Addressing the issues of unemployment of alienated youth to the management of electricity crisis amidst the malpractices of corruption, favouritism, human rights violations and a complete absence of work culture are a few of the roadblocks ahead of the state government.

And one of the biggest challenges is the rehabilitation of the flood victims, which, has been pending since September 2014 when a deluge devastated most parts of Kashmir, particularly the summer capital, Srinagar.

Dissatisfied with state of affairs, the powerful Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries termed the previous PDP-BJP regime a failure, and on the eve of Mehbooba’s coronation, said that the nearly three months of Governor rule after Mufti’s death in January had come as a blessing.

Now, the Kashmir Inc wants Mehbooba to take them onboard and get the economic issues resolved particularly the rehabilitation of the flood victims. This is where it’s a challenge to convince New Delhi over any new funding that too when the Prime Minister announced the historic Rs 80,000 crore package for the state on November 7, 2015. People of Kashmir were not satisfied with the package, nor was the PDP and the blame had gone to state Finance Minister Hasseeb Drabu, who failed to convince the Centre to alter the fund allocations. Drabu has already clarified that he won’t go to New Delhi with a begging bowl. This all becomes a bigger challenge for Mehbooba who has no prior experience of running the government. She has never been a minister before.

With the re-emergence of local militants, the state faces a terrible threat of what could even be a quantum leap in violence. The emergence of a group of young, educated, upwardly mobile and radical young Kashmiris, who wish to give vent to their alienation, has become a big issue in Kashmir of late. Mehbooba will have to do balancing act in all these issues. The role of Pakistan in assisting the militants and the separatists is no longer a secret. With its growing bonhomie with China even in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, things have become more complicated.

Also, Mehbooba has to ensure her party wins the Anantnag parliamentary constituency, after she vacates it. Her cinematographer younger brother, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, a new entrant to politics or her maternal uncle and seasoned politician Sartaj Madni may fight from that seat. Mehbooba herself will have to test the electorate to win the Assembly seat lying vacant after Sayeed’s death. Elections to these 2 seats will be her first big test of popularity at a time when the PDP is struggling to keep its ranks intact due to conflicts within the party. Tackling rebellions has thrown a big challenge for Mehbooba as senior leader and Srinagar MP Tariq Karra raised a banner of revolt by boycotting her oath-taking ceremony on Monday.

However, one of the biggest assets of Mehbooba is that she is able to relate to common people, especially women, who are the biggest sufferers of 26-years of conflict. Over the years Mehbooba has matured as a politician in the shadow of her father as she seemed happy to run the party and strengthen it at the grassroots without hankering for top job.

Jammu and Kashmir is a patriarchal society, but Mehbooba’s elevation to the highest seat of power in the state will certainly boost women of the Valley and encourage them to enter the political space that now holds some prospects for them.