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class to be able to do anything. It is only New Delhi has contributed by stifling
our diehard supporters who would the political process. Government of
vote. India has decided there is going to
They would not pose you ques- be no politics in Kashmir. And it has
tions. Those who would didn’t either become now so obvious by their
participate in our rallies nor vote. decision not to hold Assembly election.
Even our supporters could not come They don’t want politicians anywhere
out to vote in many places. The evolv- ‘The fractured near the corridors of power. They
ing situation has made them dis- have handed it over to their armed
trust the whole process. They think it mandate in 2014 forces and their bureaucrats. For
doesn’t matter whether they vote or Assembly election them politician is an alien to the
not vote. situation. How can people now trust
There was this sweeping reluctance forced us to ally the politician when he is not trusted by
about the polling because of the overall with the BJP. But our the system.
atmosphere. There is a widespread feel- I sell the people the idea of India.
ing of negativity about the process. It is leader, late Mufti But the India that we know is dead.
not seen as a mainstream activity. That Muhammad Sayeed, The India that my grandfather had
sense of belongingness is not there. In acceded to with a hope of being part
Kashmir there is no element of pride thought he could of a secular system, being a part of a
in this. There is no ownership, no social perhaps make a democratic system is dead. The first
approval to ballot. election that was fought in India
virtue out of was in 1952 when I was born. But the
How has New Delhi contributed to first fair election in Kashmir was held in
this state of affairs? an adversity’ 1977. That much time democracy took to
travel to Kashmir.
In 1989 why did Kashmir
erupt? There were no doubt
other external causes too —
Afghanistan, Pakistan etc —
but the major reason was that
in 1977 and 1983 people had
tasted their power to choose
their government. In 1977
people elected Sheikh Abdul-
lah in the face of a combined
opposition by all the pro-India
parties and local elements.
In 1983 Farooq Abdullah
fought a very bitter election
against Mrs Gandhi and won
with a landslide majority. But
post-1987 that was reversed.
Kashmiris felt boxed into a
situation where they couldn’t
even elect a local MLA.
But in 2002 India got back to
holding fair Assembly elections
in the state and which was
fortunately followed up with
a political process with an
outreach to Pakistan. But this
process is now again being
reversed.
So where do we go from
here?

tehelka / 31 may 2019 37 www.tehelka.com