National Conference vice-president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the experiment of coalitions in Jammu and Kashmir has not worked and time has come for a single-party rule to deal with the problems of the State.
“Like in Jammu and Kashmir, the coalition culture has failed in various parts of the country as well. A stable and strong dispensation is of paramount importance to steer J&K out of the mess created during the past nearly four years,” Mr. Abdullah said in his speech at the party’s youth convention in Jammu.
The statement assumes significance as J&K is headed for Assembly polls and Mr. Abdullah’s remarks are broad hints on his party not forging any pre-poll alliance.
‘Terse message’
Mr. Abdullah said people were dejected by the PDP-BJP misrule of over three years and were yearning for early elections to send out a terse message to the Centre about its misadventure in thrusting an insensitive and anti-poor government upon the State.
He said “a favourable wave” was emerging for his party in the three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
“The party intends to turn the youth of the State into a resource to take J&K to new heights of prosperity. It pains me to see militancy gaining foot again. Killing militants will not end militancy,” he said.
On Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti’s recent invite to the youth to join her party, Mr. Abdullah said she cannot make such offers given how she had pushed them into a cycle of violence.
Mufti backs coalition
Meanwhile, Ms. Mufti threw her weight behind the formation of coalition governments. “Even at the national level, it seems post-Indira Gandhi, coalition governments such as the Vajpayee coalition and UPA-1 have delivered better than majority party rule,” said Ms. Mufti.
‘Less democratic’
The PDP president’s remarks come shortly after her party colleague and senior leader Altaf Bukhari seconded Mr. Abdullah. “Kashmir has suffered a lot because of coalition politics, starting 2002. A coalition government is actually less democratic as small parties barter their support for concessions from the main group. A party with little popular support is able to impose its policies upon the majority through political blackmail,” said Mr. Bukhari.
