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The feedback from
the latest Back to KASHMIR
Village drive, which was
first started in June
and had been a Commissioner, Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal
success, is being Choudhary, around 81 projects worth 5
crore rupees were recently sanctioned
incorporated in the as an outcome of recommendations
formulation of the based on the Back to Village programme
and as many as 140 recommendations
district development have been submitted to administrative
plans of the Valley department. As the government has in-
dicated, the focus of the Back to Village is
to get the panchayats up and running in
wants to repeat it. But this time there is ercise. The officials can meet people in the state. The launch of the second phase
an implicit political dimension to the connection with the resolution of their of the programme will help assess the
programme: it is geared to bring people civic problems, not discuss political is- progress of resolution of priority issues
closer to the government by using the sues which under the circumstances of Panchayats for which 5 crore rupees
administration to solve their problems. have achieved a fraught dimension. have been released to each district.
Kashmir has been without any kind of “People welcome us. They are happy However, observers in Kashmir are
political activity since August 5. All major that it is the senior officials themselves not hopeful about the efficacy of the
leaders are under detention. Lieutenant who are visiting them than vice versa” fresh Back to Village unless the adminis-
Governor’s rule has also ensured there says a senior official who has been a part trative measures like these are backed up
are no elected political representatives of the program. “This time also, people with a political outreach too. And which
who people can go to. Hence the need to will be pleased to see us return to them. won’t be possible unless detained politi-
gear up the administration to fill in for Besides, there are many problems of civic cal leaders are released and allowed to
the politicians. nature from the previous exercise which carry out their political activities.
At the same time, Back to Village has will be taken up now”.
the advantage of being an apolitical ex- According to District Development LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

will be seen as an endorsement of the
withdrawal of the Article 370 and which
they don’t want to do as of now. The
continued detention of the political
leaders is in part also because they have
refused to sign on to New Delhi’s line
on Article 370. So political parties face a
tough dilemma.
At the same time, it would be tricky
for them to avoid the elections. Not par-
ticipating will once again leave the field
open to the BJP and let it control the
future government. As things stand, the
saffron party is likely to not only sweep
the elections in Jammu but also, in the
absence of a competition, make inroads
into Kashmir Valley where it has nur-
tured a significant cadre over the past
several years. The NC and the PDP will
have thus no option but to participate in
ferent ball game. They are a dispropor- contentious context”. the electoral process.
tionately bigger exercise than BDC polls J&K has been divested of Article 370 “It will be interesting what these par-
where only elected panches and sar- which granted erstwhile state a semi- ties decide finally,” says Ahmad. “But that
panches had to vote,” says political ana- autonomous status. This is expected to will be only possible if they are released
lyst Gowhar Geelani. “But the problem give the participation in the polls by the and allowed to formulate a response to
is that the Assembly elections are being major mainstream parties an entirely the evolving situation in the UT”.
held in an altogether altered context. different interpretation. Should main-
And it is both a troubled and a politically stream parties decide to participate it LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

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