The Referendum Vote: Yes

The news created a flutter among aam aadmis in the Valley. Prashant Bhu­shan’s suggestion of a referendum on the deployment of the army in J&K for internal security has garnered appreciation, for not­withstanding the views of the Hindu Rak­­sha Dal on the matter, it strikes a chord with people’s aspirations. Kashmir wishes for an ‘AAP magic’ to rid it of its pro­­blems.

The fledgling party’s rise has been keenly followed here in spite of the famed Kashmiri cynicism for things ‘made in Delhi’. Also, ignoring AAP’s nationalistic mooring vis-a-vis its stance on Kashmir, what finds resonance among many Kashmiris is the hope for a change for better governance.

Economist Syed Inam-ul-Haq, who has ret­­urned from China with a degree in busin­ess management, lists a litany of woes—power available only for 12 hours a day; fai­­­ling healthcare; the state’s economy in a shambles; rising unemployment. Add corruption to the mix. “How long will this con­tinue?”

Transparency International found Kashmir to be India’s second most corrupt state after Bihar. Zero accountability of the administration and no conviction rate in corruption cases sums it all up. Currently, three ministers in the Omar Abdullah-led coalition government face corruption cases, while reports of some unnamed ministers holding properties in Dubai often appear in the media.

Haq says young Kashmiris like him crave for an AAP-like phenomenon. He says the ruling National Conference, opposition PDP and a host of other pro-India parties “are doing New Delhi’s bidding”, while the “azadi camp” feels governance is none of their concern. Caught in the middle is the average Kashmiri.

The call for change is reflected in Sri­n­agar-based dailies. “That anger roo­ted in des­­pe­ration can be channelled into incipient cha­nge even in times of deep scepticism...has been vividly demonstrated in the Delhi ele­­ctions,” read an editorial in the Kashmir Reader. A columnist in the Greater Kashmir asked, “Would anyone deny that J&K needs some of the medicine Kejriwal promises for Delhi?”

Among the key separatists, only Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has reacted positively to AAP’s success. “I hope Indian political parties like AAP will look at Kashmir as a humanitarian issue and not from a nationalistic prism,” he said.

Umer’s former colleague in the Hurriyat, Sajjad Lone, who will contest elections this year, says a craving for meaningful change took shape during Imran Khan’s campaign at the head of PTI in Pakistan. There is no reason, he says, why the ‘AAP wave’ for change and empowerment would not reach Kashmir. “Years of false dawns, unkept promises and deceitful double talk have heightened the yearning for a sweeping change,” he says. Without naming CM Omar Abdullah, whose family has been at the helm in Kashmir for over 30 years since 1947, Lone said “their slogans of change depict nothing more than the euphemism of changelessness”.

Meanwhile, as if in response to the impression it has created, the AAP is reaching out to Kashmiris. It is texting messages to people, seeking ‘ideas’ and ‘act­ion plans’ from potential volunteers about this year’s parliamentary and assembly polls. Those int­­e­­rested have been asked to approach the party.

“For now, AAP’s focus is on the parliamentary elections. After that, definitely the assembly elections in J&K,” says Samir Sar, a Gurgaon-based Kashmiri Pandit who is handling AAP’s J&K chapter.

Elections to the state assembly are exp­ec­ted in autumn, when the Omar Abdullah government completes its six-year term. As Lone puts it, “It’s now up to Kashmir’s people to stay the course and be an extension of the vision of change and empowerment sweeping across the region.” As the broom beckons, Kashmir’s ripe for a sweep.

By Showkat A. Motta in Srinagar