Srinagar, Jan 5 (Inditop.com) As Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah completed one year in office Tuesday, the journey so far has been anything but smooth for the young leader.
There have been many highs and lows during Abdullah’s one year in office, yet many believe that the duration is too short to pass a verdict on his capability to steer the state out of its problems — political as well as developmental.
Abdullah himself says he has learned a lot from the mistakes. “We have learned lessons from our mistakes. If we don’t learn lessons, then we will repeat those mistakes. I don’t want to forget anything, but will learn lessons from them,” Abdullah was quoted as saying by NDTV Tuesday.
A year after Jammu and Kashmir’s historic elections, that saw an enthusiastic turnout – average 65 percent – people of the state say they are yet to see the best of Abdullah in managing their day-to-day problems and resolving the overall political issue of Kashmir.
“Passing a final judgement on Omar Abdullah within 365 days of his office may be unfair,” said Maqbool Qadri, a political science teacher, here.
“One understands that plans and policies take time to take concrete shape but one must say honestly that Omar’s best is yet to come,” Qadri told Inditop.
Abdullah started his innings on a firm wicket, but as the time passed many challenges cropped up.
The deaths of two women in Shopian last May and a shoddy investigation sparked off violent protests in the volatile Kashmir Valley.
While the Shopian protests were on, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleged that Abdullah’s name had figured in a 2006 sex scandal. The allegation prompted an angry Abdullah to resign in a fit of rage. But he withdrew it later.
“That was like an inexperienced politician. Omar had no idea then,” said Abdul Majid, a law student.
Abdullah has promised to rope in BPO companies in the state, which has about 300,000 educated unemployed youth. He had also promised a huge employment package in the government sector.
While the employment situation continues to remain as grim as it was a year ago, many of the promises Abdullah made also proved to be a non-starter.
Take, for example, the power situation. The appalling electricity power supply has sparked anger in the valley that is battling harsh winter months.
Even after the central government granted an additional 500 MW of electricity to the state, frequent power failures and unscheduled cuts continue unabated.
“What is this government doing? I want to know if any minister in Omar’s government faces the same problem. My children study under candlelight. I am a poor man,” said Ghulam Hassan Parray, 42, a daily wager in the social welfare department.
The high prices of commodities is another problem.
While the state government defends the rising prices as a “national phenomenon”, the man on street is not ready to buy the argument. “Since this government took over, the prices have gone up relentlessly. Don’t tell me the state government has no role in controlling food prices,” said Manzoon Ahmed Khan, a medical representative.
Eradicating corruption in Jammu and Kashmir — rated as the second most corrupt state in India after Bihar — is another daunting task for Abdullah, who has a Mr.Clean tag to his credit.
“He has started his innings with a clean slate and yet it would need more than the chief minister’s determination to weed out corruption. Unless Omar gets people’s support, eradicating corruption will remain a lofty dream,” said Ishtiyaq Ahmed, an activist.
On the political front, Abdullah gets credit for his active role in resuming the stalled dialogue between separatists and the central government. The talks, as Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said, will be held away from the media glare.
During this one year, the level of violence and militancy related incidents have gone down, much to the credit of the chief minister who started his tenure by getting an army camp vacated from a north Kashmir village after a public demand.
And a year after occupying the hot seat, the man on the street wants Omar Abdullah to bridge the gap between his promises and delivery.
